Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The distant sound of a dragon’s cry rings out far overhead. Hilda pauses in her tracks on the farm, head lifting skywards towards where the familiar group of dragons swirls overhead.

Hiccup and the rest of his gang. Doing dragon practice, and her heart cries with a familiar longing to be free. She wants to get to be up there with them. It’s all she does want anymore. And she also knows it’s a chance she’s never going to get, at least probably not for years.

Not until her grandfather keels over, probably, and Hilda’s not sure what it says about her that she feels nothing when she thinks of such a world but an uplight sense of pure relief. Mildew is… not the only family member she has, but her parents died years ago in a skimmerish, and her aunts and uncles didn’t want her.

So. Here she is. Stuck with him, like she has been for the past eight years, long enough that she can barely remember a world from before.

She has work to do, but pauses and squints for a closer look, anyway. The Night Fury stands out so well against the bright blue sky – and did Hiccup just jump off his back? And the Fury caught him. Hilda watches in awe as it dives, catching, and he swings right back on, swinging around to rejoin the rest of the group.

That blinding trust, that sense of belonging – she’s seen them in the streets, and it’s crazy to think a human and a dragon could bond so deeply, but it’s something she wants. Something she’d give anything for.

“Hilda,” Mildew’s voice snaps from behind her and she jumps, spinning around, “You have work to do. Get your eyes off the sky.”

She hastily averts her gaze from the sky, looking back at the cabbage patch in question and the endless supply of work she’s supposed to be doing. She hears one of the dragons call again and tries very hard not to look back up, anyway.

“Those beasts don’t belong among us,” Mildew seethes, “I still cannot believe the chief’s left them roam freely on Berk. They all deserve to be slaughtered.”

Hilda still holds her tongue, despite all the retorts instinctively rising. Arguing with him never ends well. And it won’t change anything. She figured that out when she was seven.

But still, she can’t help how angry she is. How does all of an entire kind deserve to die just for… existing? She thought about that sometimes even before but she thought she was being stupid back then, until she heard about what Hiccup was able to do.

“And I won’t have you looking at dragons like they’re – ” Mildew’s tirade is interrupted at the sound of a shriek and Hilda looks up sharply to see Snotlout and his monstrous nightmare dragon falling out of the sky, right towards their house.

She watches frozen, for a heart-stopping moment as his dragon tries to catch him. He slows his fall a little, but not near enough and both of them crash through the roof.

Mildew growls wordlessly and runs for the house.

Hilda wavers, gaze darting between the smashed roof and the dragons up in the sky up above. All the riders look distinctly panicked. This is really, really bad - and she doesn’t even care about the damaged roof half as much as how she knows Mildew’s going to be seething about this and she’s going to take the brunt of it because that’s always what happened.

So she has no idea why all she suddenly wants to do is laugh. Snotlout fell right through her roof. It’s actually really funny – except that Mildew is going to be angry, and that is not a good thing. Her grandfather is cranky enough as it is. He always has been, but with everything about the dragons, and about Hiccup, he’s gotten a thousand times worse. Best of her to steer clear.

She finally ends up staying right where she is, eyes on the dragons circling above, right as Snotlout, now riding his dragon, comes flying back out of the house probably ten times faster than they went in.

All of them scatter, streaking away and up into the clouds.

Hilda snaps her gaze away from the sky the moment she sees Mildew storming back out of the house. 

“This is what I mean,” he seethes, “Now they’ve destroyed my roof! And the chief is still going to let them get away without any consequences.”

Personally, Hilda thinks they could do without a roof that old and decrepit anyway – not that she’s saying so. And honestly, they’re Vikings. And they apparently can’t sleep or function with a hole in the roof? Seriously? “We can get it rebuilt before the next snow hits,” she offers – whoops. Never think positive with Mildew in the room. It’s easy to forget sometimes.

“That doesn’t change the damage they’ve caused,” Mildew snaps, rounding on her, “I am taking this to the chief and those stupid teenagers are going to be fixing this. And if the chief doesn’t take action against these beats, I’ll do it myself.”

He turns away.

Hilda watches him go, unable to shake the sinking feeling that Mildew is actually serious. And she has no idea what that means but she’s afraid to find out.

***

Boot night is gross, even if Hilda’s had to do it a thousand times before. She’s not expecting the night to be any different than it always is. The same normal just as always – up until she gets up to see that Mildew’s disappeared along with his boots.

There’s nothing really unusual about that but when she’s heading out into the village, it’s to hear heated conversation about how everyone’s boots have mysteriously vanished. She follows the sound of the commotion, to where a bunch of villagers have gathered outsidenot far from the chief’s house.

“Who could have done such a thing?” Mulch is asking.

“All I know is that they left a mighty big footprint,” Mildew replies, gesturing to the dragon footprints in a few piles of snow right nearby.

Hilda frowns. Yeah, there’s dragon tracks right here, but that doesn’t even make sense. A dragon would go after food, not boots???

Right?!

She looks between the adults to the dragon riders, who are all gathered here. They know dragons better than anyone else and if anyone knows what’s happening, it’s going to be them – She tries not to think about how much she wants to get to be one of them.

Fishlegs comes over, quickly identifying the footprints as a Zippleback’s.

“So, a dragon walked through here - a Zippleback, according to my friend, Fishlegs. But that doesn't mean he took everyone's boots,” Hiccup interjects.

“Well, there's just one way to find out. Follow the footprints,” her grandfather replies smugly, turning away.

The villagers are all quick to follow.

Something about this just doesn’t seem right. Mildew’s too certain it’s a dragon. To be fair, he blames the dragons for everything and it’s almost a little comical that he’s making a commotion about dragons potentially stealing boots. Except, she knows how easily this could get blown out of proportion.

Hilda trails after the crowd, tracking an occasional footprint all the way back to the Arena.

She’s never been in here before; she’s only seen it from viewing platform above when it was still used for killing dragons. She could’ve gotten her chance in here, or at least Mildew seems convinced that she would’ve been assigned to the Trial of Flame if Hiccup hadn’t been chosen instead. Personally, Hilda doubts the truth to it. If not for HIccup, they’d still be at war. Isn’t peace more important? Wait, no. Of course not, this is Mildew.

There’s one enormous pile of boots lying right around Barf and Belch, who are blissfully sleeping.

This is…

Okay, she has to admit it’s incriminating.

At least, up until she takes a few moments to actually think about it. Because this still doesn’t make any sense, unless it’s just that she can’t stop thinking about Mildew’s dropped comment of how he’ll handle the dragons if no one else will.

“So there's a bunch of boots piled around a Zippleback,” Hiccup pipes up, “That doesn't mean…” His dad pointedly lifts a clawed up boot and holds it out to make his point. Hilda sighs a little – yeah, those are definite Zippleback claw marks right through the leather. Fishlegs is right about that. “Okay, fine, he took the boots.” He deflates.

“How are we supposed to do any work in this weather without our boots?” someone demands.

“This is outrageous!” someone else agrees.

Mildew strides up to the chief, scowling. “Now, how long before something's done about these creatures, Stoick? How much more can we stand?!”

How much more can they stand than stolen boots?

Goodness. Yes, oh my. How much bigger can their problems possibly get?

She still keeps her comments to herself – Mildew is never going to let it go if she says something remotely disagreeing with him in public.

But she’s worried. Most of the adult Vikings around are protesting against the dragons – as though this is the worst calamity that’s ever happened. There are still so many people who hate them and she’s scared for what that could lead to.

If nothing else, she knows her grandfather is going to do everything he can to stir up trouble.

Assuming he didn’t…

Well, she doesn’t have a reason to just assume that but… Something still seems wrong.

“Listen to yourselves,” Gobber interrupts, “My feet are cold. You're Vikings! Everything is cold! I'll fix your boots for ya. You'll be back to work in no time.”

Finally someone pointing that out. The comment seems to embarrass everyone enough into shutting up, at least. Except her grandfather anyway, who just seems even angrier.

“You all heard Gobber. You'll be getting your boots back as good as new,” Stoick calls.

“That's it?” Mildew demands, “No consequence for these dragons?”

COnSeQuEnCeS for stealing boots?

He sounds insane, but that’s kind of always true. She’s just worried about how much of a mood he’s going to be in the rest of the day after this. And whose problem with that be? Hers, of course.

***

Mildew rarely spends time in the cities. Hilda personally thinks he started dodging it more when she started hanging out with Hiccup several years ago. It irritated him to no end, and he did everything in his power to keep them apart. Hiccup figured it out, eventually, then…

This.

She sees him from a distance, but they rarely ever talk anymore. Things are changing, and their growing older, and sometimes she feels so…

Awkward?

Fluttery?

Yeah, not thinking about that too hard. But the awkward is annoying.

“Hilda?” Hiccup asks, voice nearly echoing in the night.

She freezes, head whipping around to where he stands – rides, actually, on his Night Fury, the dragon’s eyes nearly glowing green in the darkness. Toothless is beautiful. That’s something she’s never dared voice to another human. She’s not really sure when she ever will. “Oh, h – hey, Hiccup?”

“What are you doing out here at this time?”

She groans. “Mildew. He insisted I get some more water from the well, and switch out a few farm tools that were getting dull. What about you?” Hiccup’s up all crazy hours, but this seems excessive.

“Mildew,” he answers, the name rolling off his tongue with barely veiled irritation. After how her grandfather nearly got the dragons kicked off Berk entirely, Hilda’s surprised Hiccup doesn’t hate him more. He’d have every right to, but the boy’s too generous for his own good. “He wanted us to keep an eye on the dragons At night, and that’s what we’re doing.”

He’s wearing some sort of sash, something she, initially, assumed had something to do with riding dragons or maybe the academy, until he comes closer, and she sees the letters D U M B nice and neatly spelled.

“Uh,” Hilda squeaks, raising a finger to point. “What are you wearing?”

Hiccup tugs at the sash. “Oh, this? D.U.M.B.? It stands for… Dragon United Monitoring Brigade.”

“Uh. Whose bright idea was that? I mean yell, dumb?” She doesn’t know if she’s more concerned with their sanity or straight up amused.

“Well, it’s an easy to remember acronym –”

“I think it just makes you look stupider to my grandfather.”

“It was his idea. It was a dumb idea.” Hiccup shrugs.

Hilda snorts. She’s missed laughing, actually, a weird, rare but genuine amusement curling inside her. “Oookay. I’ll be sure to remember the, uh, dumb.” She’s never letting that one go. “You know, I spent my whole life wanting to fly.” She should shut up. Right now. But… now that she can talk, it’s so hard not to.

“You can join the academy,” Hiccup is quick to offer, “My dad would be thrilled, I think, if we got another trainer. We could use it.”

Yeah. So could she. “My grandfather wouldn’t,” Hilda mutters, and he’s her caregiver. Her aunts and uncles, all of them, left her. Her parents are dead. She can’t just leave the only family she has because he pushes her around a little. Sure, he’s unpleasant and nasty, but…

They don’t have anyone. Neither of them do. Not really, other than that stupid sheep.

“I know, but if you want this… Astrid’s family’s not happier with it, either. We can help you.”

Yeah. Sure. He’ll try, Hilda doesn’t doubt that, but she – she can’t. Hiccup must understand that, somewhere – he always used to be terrified of defying his dad, too. Like she is with her grandfather. It’s… messed up. She knows it isn’t right, but…

“I don’t have anywhere to go, Hiccup. Sorry. But, uh, I’ll think about it.”

He nods, offering a faint, supportive smile. Hilda throws another glance at Toothless before taking off – Mildew could still be nearby, and he’s going to be so angry if he sees her with them. Leaving is hard. She wishes the time she spent with him could be more than stolen glimpses. That’s all they’ve gotten since they were, what? Twelve? It feels like a lifetime.

***

With the riders apparently on dragon patrol after dark, Hilda’s hoping it’s going to be an end to the dragon chaos in the village. Or… alleged dragon chaos. She still doesn’t know if it’s real. So, she’s really not expecting to hear about some kind of damage in the Great Hall the next morning.

This is – It’s too convenient. How is this happening literally two days in a row?

Mildew’s in a rush to get there and Hilda is quick to follow.

The damage looks bad. There’s huge claw marks all over the walls, pillars, and tapestries.  But why would a dragon do this? It’s too…

“Oh, no, it's true!” Mildew exclaims, as he bursts into the hall, “The Great Hall! So many memories. My three weddings, their three funerals. Oh, the funerals!”

She knows her grandmother and…err, step-grandmothers were all killed by dragons. She was too young or not even born yet to remember any of them. But that doesn’t mean every single dragon is responsible for it. Honestly, their Vikings. Who hasn’t killed before?

“What kind of dragon could that be?” Hilda ventures, looking to the riders. She has to know. It’s too…

“Fishlegs thinks it’s a Monstrous Nightmare,” Hiccup replies, a bit unhappily. Just like another one of the dragon trophies she knows her grandfather has stashed around their house.

“It is,” Fishlegs interjects brightly, “The spacings between the talons are perfect.”

“A dragon must have gone on a rampage. I hate to say it, Stoick, but you're going to have to – ” Gobber starts to say.

“So do I!” Mildew bursts in.

Hilda can’t help narrowing her eyes at him a little. This is way too suspicious, twice in a row. Maybe it could happen by accident, but it’s also more likely not.

Her grandfather wouldn’t seriously damage a place like the Great Hall, though, would he? That’s not even about dragons. This is one of the most important places in all of Berk. It’s…

“Starting tonight, every night, I want all the dragons put in the Academy under lock and key,” Stoick orders.

They’re going to imprison them again?

Hilda doesn’t miss the panicked looks on Hiccup’s and the other’s faces. She doesn’t even have a dragon but she feels awful about this. She wishes she could say something to them, not that words would do anything to make them feel about this, she’s sure, but… But she also knows that she can’t. Mildew never wants her anywhere near any of them anymore. He’d definitely have a fit if he caught her talking to one of them about something dragon related.

“What?” Mildew demands, jerking forwards, “That's it? Look what they did!”

“This just doesn't make any sense!” Hiccup protests, going over to his father, “A dragon wouldn't just come in here and destroy the place! I mean, none of the food was even touched!”

Hilda’s eyes dart over to it. No, it wasn’t. That makes it even weirder. There’s no way this was a dragon, is there?

“I don't know why dragons do what they do, but I'm not going to let them do any more damage,” Stoick replies firmly, walking out.

Mildew looks like he’s seething.

And just this once, she is too, too much to keep quiet. She rethinks her decision to say anything at least four times on the way back to the farm but she can’t just stay quiet about this.

“Did you do that?” Hilda blurts out, heart already pounding.

Mildew turns to look at her, eyes narrowing.

“The Great Hall,” she fumbles and she almost wishes she’d said nothing, “That couldn’t have been a dragon.”

“Those beasts are destroying our village. And you concern yourself with whether or not it could look like a dragon?” he demands.

She should back down. She should before she makes this much worse for herself. “If it was a dragon, why didn’t it eat the food?”

“They’re mindless beasts,” he snarls, “And I will have them thrown off Berk, whatever the cost.”

That’s not an outright confession but it’s still close enough. He damaged the Great Hall. He –

What?

“You – ” She can’t think. Can’t breathe.

Mildew. Mildew did that? He’s trying to frame the dragons. And everyone believes it was a dragon right now. 

“If you were not so fascinated with the beasts that killed your own grandmother, you would see the threat they are to all of Berk.”

As if he didn’t just do something against Berk?

“That – ”

He shoves her with the end of his staff. It’s unexpected enough that she stumbles, nearly falling.

“Get back to work,” he snaps, “I’m not telling you again.”

He stands there glowering until she’s slowly turned away, back to the fields around her. And tries to ignore her probably bruised side, thank you very much.

That could probably have gone worse. Maybe.

It’s not like it’s the first time she’s ever been hit. Even if the main time she remembers is that time when she was seven and told him his ridiculous helmet looks like dragon horns. She still thinks so. Even if she’s not gonna say so again.

But this is –

He’s framing the dragons. And he’s hurting Berk to do it and no one else knows about this but her. She – she should say something. She can’t just do nothing. But – 

Who would even believe it? Hiccup probably would but that doesn’t mean Stoick would. She doesn’t have any proof. There’s the dragon feet but that doesn’t… prove it. It’d just be her word over Mildew’s and who would listen? And if they didn’t, then – then she doesn’t want to think about what would happen if no one believed her and Mildew realized she said something.

And even if she did say something, there’s not any real proof. There’s…

There’s really nothing she can do.

***

Hidda’s almost expecting more chaos this time, when she heads to the village early the next morning but not what she hears instead. There’s talk everywhere about how the dragons are being rounded up and sent off Berk. All of them.

Because something about one of them blowing up the armory?

That’s –

Did Mildew do that, too? Would he actually blow up the armory, of all things on Berk?

The last two nights had to have been him. But this is still worse. Much worse. It’s a serious act against Berk itself and she can’t understand how any hatred of dragons could be enough for that.

It’s not –

She can’t just do nothing. But what can she do?

He’s the only family she has, and if he’s executed or – or kicked off Berk entirely, she’ll be left here with no one. What will happen to her then? And – and what proof does she have other than mere paranoia? She doesn’t know what to do. It should be an easy choice. It’s not.

The riders are down by the shoreline, with their own dragons. They all look miserable. She runs down to join them, desperately hoping Mildew isn’t watching.

“What’s happening?” Hilda asks, a bit panicked.

“We have to send the dragons away,” Hiccup answers, miserably, “Everyone thinks Toothless was the one to blow up the armory.”

Toothless?

She could see some dragons getting a little wild but not one of the riders.

“Why?”

“Someone saw him near it, right after the fire started,” Astrid explains, distinctly gloomy.

But that doesn’t mean he did it. It does mean that trying to say anything about Mildew would be basically impossible, though. Who would believe her? She hardly believes herself even if she also knows there’s no other answer.

“This is…” She swallows hard. “Forever?”

“I just have to figure something out,” Hiccup replies, shaking his head, but he looks to miserable to actually be persuasive.

“Yeah, it’s over,” Snotlout interjects.

The dragons are leaving. Does this mean they’re going to be back to fighting again? Or just that they’ll chase away every dragon that comes here, which… isn’t going to be that much better.

She can’t believe this is happening. It’s… how is this happening? She feels too frozen with shock to really think or – anything.

“We have to go,” Hiccup says finally, turning back to the others.

Hilda watches them all mount their dragons and fly away, for what’s going to be for the last time. All her dreams of getting to fly a dragon someday are gone forever too, if the dragons are really all being banished. 

Unless – unless someone can prove it wasn’t their doing. She thinks about going to find the chief. To – at least try saying something about it. But with what proof? And she’d have to face Mildew after that, and…

And in the end, she just stands there watching the sky for a long time, which now looks so empty.

Chapter Text

She should have said something. That’s the only thing on Hilda’s mind as she tries to exist throughout the next day, a gnawing guilt eating at her inside and out, something she can’t just… make disappear. 

She keeps thinking about going to say something now but… She keeps rethinking it before she can consider it long enough to find an excuse to leave the farm.  It’s making her hate herself even more with each passing second, but she doesn’t know what to do.

And it’s late for anything anymore. The dragons are already gone.

It’s later in the afternoon when Hiccup shows up. He looks… dejected. Empty and raw in a way she feels so many echoes of. It’s like a mirror sometimes, looking at herself, almost. Except not quite, because Hiccup is better, smarter, faster – and he found a way out of his emptiness.

Hilda knows she never will. There is no way out. By the time Mildew keels over, or she finally learns to grow a spine, it’ll be too late for her to change.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, arms wrapped around herself.

“Mind if you don’t tell Mildew I’m over?” Hiccup asks conversationally. He’s feigning a smile, but she can see the heaviness in his eyes.

“Sure.” The question, though, is an odd one. “Why? Is… something happening?”

Hiccup shrugs with a shake of his head. “Nope.” He doesn’t trust her. He doesn’t trust her, and it’s completely fair, but it still hurts. He really shouldn’t trust her, with what she knows and hasn’t said.

“Okay,” Hilda mutters, rubbing at her arm and trying to play casual. Which she has no idea how to do – she’s been born awkward, or maybe it’s living with a cranky old man that made her this way. She has no idea. “Come on inside.”

She’ll be chewed out later, probably, but if they’re both working, maybe…? Or maybe that will make him even more annoyed. With Mildew, it’s hard to say. All she can say is that she really wants to be out of here.

Pretending there’s even a way out.

They go inside. There’s not much to see, all things considered – the main room, her grandfather’s bed, and the little side room she has alone, the only private spot she has in the world. He never comes in there, at least rarely. It’s a nice place to hide. And, amusingly, wasn’t even damaged from the two who fell through the roof.

“I didn’t expect you to come over here alone,” Hilda tries, trying to help get him set up on the roof.

“Wasn’t much I could do,” Hiccup replies, “I wasn’t gonna drag my friends over after what Mildew just did to them.”

And he came here alone because of that? She feels the same guilt again, smothering – she doesn’t deserve to be here talking to him. Or to anyone. “That was… very thoughtful,” Hilda murmurs finally, going to fetch another board. “Do they know?”

He shrugs. “Not really.” He’s looking around again, eyes narrow, looking for… something.

She doesn’t know if, when, is ever a good time or way to say it. He ought to be angry at her. He should be, and she wishes he was. Maybe it would drop the emptiness in her chest a little. “Hiccup, there’s – there’s something I need to tell you.”  There. Out with it, finally, after so long of trying not to talk. No going back now.

He freezes, looking down at her. “Yeah?”

“I – I think my grandfather set a lot of this up. I don’t know. He said some… things to me, and him being in town every night was weird. Like he’s been trying to keep me out of the house for a while now, I –”

“You think he set this up?” Hiccup guesses. Somehow, he doesn’t even sound surprised. Does he already know? How did he figure out? When did he figure out?

“I do. I can’t believe he would do something like this, but…” She doesn’t want him to – will he get executed? “Stoick won’t have him killed, will he?”

“I don’t know. First, we need to prove it was Mildew who did this, not the dragons. I…” Hiccup trails off, then sighs. “I don’t know what my father will do, but maybe if we prove Mildew’s efforts are failures, he’ll stop.”

Hilda thinks they both know that’s not true. Her grandfather was willing to commit treason in order to get the dragons banished, and he does, in every right by law, deserve a taste of his own doing. She’ll admit that, even if it terrifies her. She used to yearn to be away from him, but now that she’s older, she’s come to realize…

She has no idea how to survive on her own.

She can take care of a farm, maybe halfway or less, but what other than that? Sure, she can cook, she can mend, but she knows nobody, has no friends, doesn’t….

She doesn’t know how to protect herself, either. Not really.

“Okay.” She gnaws on her lip until she tastes blood, and tries to tell herself to stop. It’s a long, anxious habit she has that never seems to shake, even if it irritated Hilda herself. “I’ll help you.”

Hiccup nods, smiling a little as he ties a rope to a support board and climbs down.

Hilda has long grown used to dodging everything possible in this house. She hides in her room unless she’s at the table, and usually eats in her room, too. Mildew hates kids, herself included, and he never stopped complaining about her touching anything in sight. She’s long grown accustomed to… not touching things. There are too many weapons and dragon killing trophies out here for her liking, anyway.

The sight of the Gronkle head on her wall still makes her want to gag.

“Well, Mildew definitely has a type,” Hiccup supplies, eyeing the portraits and shuddering disgustedly.

Hilda shudders. “And to think one of those was my grandmother.”

“You’re nothing like either of them.”

“I think I take after my Mom. She was nice. Dad pretty much ignored me. I don’t…” Really remember anymore, if she’s being honest. Whatever positive memories she had have long since been replaced with… this. “You know, personally, I wish you’d destroyed the whole house. I hate it here.” And she cannot stress that enough.

“Maybe you can come live with me,” Hiccup offers.

Hilda blinks. “Seriously?” She doesn’t know if she’s more stunned or hysterical, but… living with them?

Hiccup?

It’s… well, she doesn’t know what to say.

Hiccup slowly crosses the house, scanning everything and reaches up to pull back a curtain Mildew had strung up in front of some of his dragon trophies. She doesn’t remember why that happened, but what she sees makes her freeze.

“Zippleback feet?” Hiccup breathes. “And a Monstrous Nightmare claw. Just like I said.”

Distant shuffling catches her ears, in line with her constant jitteriness. She’s long since learned to run and dodge her grandfather’s approaches. “Quick,” she hisses, snatching the clawed boots from him even if it almost makes her hands burn to touch them. These used to belong to a living, breathing creature, one her grandfather slaughtered. “Hide!”

Hiccup dives for the rope, and she shoves the things back where they were - hopefully – and scuries for her room.

She doesn’t know if she made it fast enough, because she hears Mildew moving around. And – she has no idea if Hiccup made it fast enough. She feels so awful for him, but he still manages to be so, so nice. It’s mind-blowing. How can a Viking be a Viking, and still be so sweet?

She doesn’t move until she hears the door closing again and slowly, carefully peaks out. Mildew’s gone. Hilda carefully steals around the house while his back is turned, freezing when she sees him throwing the trophies… into the ocean. She hears the splash as they fall out of sight.

Yeah. he was always thorough. Hiding the evidence before someone can sell him out?

She should’ve looked earlier. Why didn’t she look earlier? Now… she has no idea what happens now.

***

It turns out she doesn’t have long to think about it, either. The day is miserable, as about every day is, and that evening when she was just preparing supper – mostly for herself. Mildew only eats inedible food – when Berk’s alarm system sounds.

Something she hasn’t heard back since the dragon war, and when Hilda throws the door open, she halfway expects to see a bunch of angry, fire breathing lizards, but instead, it’s just mass panic.

Everyone’s being summoned to the Great Hall for an emergency meeting.

“This is no time to panic,” Stoick calls over the clamoring voices, “That's what the Outcasts are counting on.”

The Outcasts.

They’re the ones attacking. Right now. When they aren’t even going to be able to defend themselves. Yeah, she knows why everyone’s panicking. She’s about to panic.

“I saw thirty men at least, all armed to the teeth,” someone says, coming in to report to Stoick.

“Without my weapons, we'll never be able to fight them head on,” Gobber points out bluntly.

“No weapons! And Outcasts on our shores!” Mildew pipes up, “All thanks to your boy and his dragons!”

He’s seriously going to bring that up now? When this is literally all his doing? Her anger comes rushing back full-force, even if she’s too scared to really focus on anything but her fear right now. This could be about to go very badly for everyone on Berk.

“I don't have time for this right now, Mildew,” Stoick thankfully cuts him off, “Mulch, you and Bucket gather the elders and the children. Get them to Thor’s Beach. They'll be save in the caves there.”

“We can help fight! We've been trained as warriors,” Astrid interjects.

“She may have been trained, but I was born a warrior,” Snotlout brags.

Stoick gives Astrid a hatchet – one of their last remaining weapons but tells her to still come with the rest of them.

They aren’t going to have long to even get to where they’re going. And then they’ll just be waiting to hear the result of the battle.

“Let me go get the dragons,” Hiccup pipes up, “At least if we have them, Dad, we can defend ourselves.”

Hilda looks up, hopefully. It would be so much easier if they did still have dragons. She has no idea what her grandfather was even thinking, pulling what he did.

“Go,” Stoick tells him, “But be careful. You don't know what Alvin is capable of. The rest of you: We'll head to the woods. Nobody knows that forest like we do.”

It’s the last she hears as everyone starts dispersing from the Great Hall. This is going to be one very long night.

***

The night is dark. The moon is full, at least mostly full, but unease is just scratching and clawing inside her chest as they walk through the night – only for the group to be surrounded by their attackers. So much for escape. They’re down by the beach now, but the men surrounding them are –

They’re too heavily armored and they have weapons. That man was right when he told Stoick they don’t stand a fighting chance.

Astrid has a hatchet, and Hilda, for her own part, has a couple of knives, but that will do what in the face of all this?

She had more weapons at home, but never thought to bring them. And Mildew, of course, has an endless supply of axes. Most of them are trophies now, but still.

And he never even bothered to bring them?

“For those of you who haven't figured it out,” the dark-haired man in front with a nasty scar across his face and massive, curling horns. “I am the one and only Alvin the Treacherous. And let me be clear, that name was earned.”

“’Alvin’?” one of the dragon riders mutters. “Pft. How did he earn that?” Tuffnut, Hilda thinks, with the snicker and shrug from his nearly identical sister.

“Your leader has abandoned ya,” Alvin continues, “But Stoick doesn't concern me. I'm not here for him. I want the Dragon Conqueror.”

Hilde’s heart skips a beat. He’s here for Hiccup? When and how did he learn about Hiccup?! Who’s been talking? How did the gossip spread so fast?

“Say goodbye to Hiccup,” Mildew whispers to Astrid with a small, smug smirk.

Is he –

“Alvin!”

Astrid swings her elbow upwards, smacking Mildew in the face and he drops before he can finish talking. “My grandfather’s frail,” she says sweetly. “He needs his nap.”

Hilda, for her part, has always had mixed feels about the girl. As the leader of the Fire Brigade, the hero of her time, Mildew had always been angry at Hilda for not being Astrid. She thinks, really, he just wanted to complain, but Hilda has never had that fighting streak. She used to think Astrid was cool, until it bubbled over into a frustrated resentment, and –

Well, yeah, Hilda thinks her respect points just skyrocketed. That was amazing.

“Well, like I said...tell me who the Dragon Conqueror is, and you can all go free.”

No chance. She’s not selling Hiccup out, and Hilde’s not sure if… anyone is, either. But they still need to think of something fast. They need a way out, because even if Hiccup was trying to get to Dragon Island, it’s hard to say if he’s made it off Berk safely. They will find him. It’s a matter of time if no one acts.

Someone is moving to grab a weapon, and Hilde takes that as her moment to draw a knife from her clothes and flips the blade around, throwing it. Alvin, for his part, just whips around and snatches the blade from the air. Someone grabs her by the back of her tunic, throwing her forwards. Astrid, for her part, tries to lash out with her weapon, only for it to be wrestled from her hands.

Hilda thinks she’s been pulled into an armlock, but she’s more focused on the fact that she’s hitting the ground near Alvin’s feet and scrambling upright, heart pounding. She can’t breathe. She definitely isn’t thinking.

What do you do in situations like these? She has another blade, but what can that do against armor? She needs a weak point, and Hilde’s mind dissolves into screaming chaos. She can’t think. She can’t move or breathe or anything.

“Trying to kill Alvin the Treacherous?” He laughs, slowly circling her. Hilde tries not to move. “You’re not as smart as you look. Tell me, who's your Dragon Conqueror, eh?”

She says nothing. There must be something she could say, but her mind won’t work, dissolving into nothing but hysterical screaming. She is definitely not going to cry, but then Alvin grabs one of her braids and yanks. Hilde cries out sharply, tears instinctively building in her eyes.

“Tell me!” he yells.

She won’t. She’s not selling Berk out. She’s not turning her only friend out to this maniac.

“Leave her alone!” Hiccup’s voice yells, and the next thing she knows, he’s jumping down from a hillside onto the cliff ledge Alvin is holding her on.

The grip on her hair releases, and she jerks, blinking at the wetness in her eyes, still barely risking breathing a sigh of relief.

“Hiccup?” she squeaks faintly.

“What are you doing here?” Astrid calls from the crowd.

“Yeah,” another adds, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m the Dragon Conqueror,” Hiccup answers simply, spreading his hands with a gleeful little smirk. He looks far too self-assured for the terror of the situation, and it confuses her. How could he not be scared? She’s terrified.

“You?” Alvin asks mockingly as his men break into laughter. “Stoick’s little embarrassment?”

Actually adding this to the top of the reasons she hates this man.

“I drove the dragons from Berk. Look around. You don't see any on this island, do you?” Hiccup continues.

He throws a look at his friends, and Hilde catches Astrid’s little return nod. “It’s true,” she adds, “All the dragons are afraid of him. He even conquered a Night Fury!”

Alvin pushes Hilda aside roughly, stalking towards Hiccup and towering over him. “You’re bluffing,” he accuses,

“Am I?” Hiccup asks sweetly, “Well, there's only one way to find out. Take me to Dragon Island.”

Alvin scoffs. He grabs Hiccup’s arm roughly enough that Hilda wants to punch him just for that and drags her friend off. He walks along, chin raised, every bit the perfect – terrifying – picture of calm. How does he do that?

She’s terrified, and she’s not even the one being taken. Maybe, Hilda realizes, she’s more terrified for him than anything else. It’s literally minutes later when Stoick and the others show up for a surprise attack and rescue, but it’s already too late.

***

“Selling out Berk to the Outcasts?” Hilda demands with a level of fury she can’t believe she’s displaying, “Really, Grampa?”

“I was going to rid Berk of its greatest nuisance –”

Greatest - ?! “You were going to hand Hiccup over to Alvin, so he could extract every bit of dragon knowledge that boy has, and what if Alvin found himself a little dragon army of his own?! What if he attacked Berk? He would kill us all in our sleep without reason, without mercy, without –”

Hilda sucks in a frustrated breath, rubbing at the back of her throbbing head, hissing with untold fury. She’s so angry. Mildew was willing to sell Berk out over and over just to get back at Hiccup, and for what? He’s fifteen. He’s a kid.

Just like her.

“That’s enough of your obsession with that boy and his dragons!” Mildew snarls. “He should be kicked off Berk just like they were! All these people should be! Dragons are wild beasts. They should be dealt with as such!”

“The war is over, Grampa. That’s a good thing.”

“The war is only beginning!”

“Do you want revenge that badly, that you’re willing to sacrifice all of Berk? Including me?” Hilda demands. She tries to ignore how much that hurts. Yeah, she’s not surprised, actually, but he’s still the only family she has, and…

All she sees now is someone so consumed by vengeance they just need to be stopped. No mercy, no sympathy, just… a monster.

(Is she any better? Can she be, when he’s the only family she has?)

“I’ve heard enough from you about this,” Mildew snaps, “With those dragons around, all of Berk will be gone in no time.”

She should shut up. She knows she should because this is going to only make it worse but she can’t even believe him. “It already could have been because of what you did!”

Mildew takes a sharp step closer. “I should never have taken you in, not if all you’re going to do is speak in favor of those beats that are responsible for the death of so many in your own family.”

All retorts die on Hilda’s tongue at the words. He’s as close as threatening to just throw her out. He could. It doesn’t sound wholly unlike something he would do actually and she –

She doesn’t have anyone else. Never has. And he knows that perfectly well.

She snaps her jaw closed, heart still pounding. She should’ve known arguing about this was stupid.

“I don’t want to hear you bringing this up again,” he adds with a glower before stalking away.

Doesn’t do much to ease the fear clawing at her chest. She’s going to have to be extra careful about well, anything now. Not that there’s much to talk about when the dragons are all gone anyway. There isn’t even going to be a risk of him seeing her fanning over them again.

Or at least, that’s what she thought, up until she looks up suddenly and sees a group of dragons flying in, above the boats that are bringing back whoever went after Alvin.

She runs down to the dock along with a lot of other people, to see what’s happening.

Hiccup’s on Toothless again and actually, the riders are riding their dragons again.

How did that change?

She’s almost even more surprised at how many people amongst the crowd are cheering at seeing them again.

She hears someone asking why they’re back.

“They helped us against Alvin,” Astrid replies, “We wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”

“You hear that, bud? You're back home,” Hiccup sets, petting Toothless as he swings off him. he looks so happy now.

And he’s okay. It’s beyond relieving to see. She should’ve known he had some kind of at least semi-reasonable plan when he agreed to go with Alvin in the first place.

“What are you cheering about?” Mildew snarls, “Don't you remember what these beasts have done?!”

“I do,” Stoick replies curtly, “They saved our lives.”

Mildew’s scowl grows but he says nothing more.

Greeeeat. He’s going to be in an even worse mood tonight than ever. And she’s really, really not up to dealing with it anymore. Not that she’s ever gotten a choice. Right now, she’s just glad that the dragons are really back. She can hardly even believe it. Hopefully it’s going to be stay this time.

“Hey,” Astrid says, appearing out of the crowd.

Hilda startles a little, at being addressed directly by her. “Yes?”

“I got this off Alvin. Thought you’d want it back,” she replies, holding out the knife.

“Ohh.” She takes it from her. “Thanks.”

Astrid nods, turning away.

Hilda tries really hard not to think about how much she wants to be one of them. She really never will get that chance and continuing to dream about it is probably stupid. She should just… try to content herself with the fact that the dragons are back again.

It’s not really a gesture of friendship, but a small part of Hilda still thinks she should be taking it that way. It’s… nice. They’re all so nice. Why didn’t she ever see that before? And most importantly, why is a simple level of politeness… so hard to manage? And yeah, Hilda really doesn’t need to point fingers when she says that.

Chapter Text

“Now the chief has a dragon, too,” Mildew seethes, as Hilda tries to go about her day, with both of them working outside. Whatever happened to the stop wasting time and get back to work. Maybe that only applies to her.

She feels a little bad for how angry she is at him all the time now but it’s impossible not to be.

“He does?” Hilda asks a little startled, looking up. She’d heard talk but she hadn’t really realized it was something official.

Mildew scowls, as he keeps petting Fungus and the poor sheep in question looks like it wants to be anywhere else. “It’s a disgrace to all of Berk,” he snaps.

That’s actually the best news she’s ever heard.

Stoick has a dragon. That’s… It’s one thing for him to allow a group of teenagers to ride dragons but something else entirely for him to be finally doing that too. It means they really are leaving the dragon war in the past and Hilda desperately hopes that this means it’s going to stay that way. She knows Stoick has a lot of problems but well – He’s actually going along with changing their way to this point and that means a lot.

Even if it also means she knows this is something else Mildew is going to be cranky about for weeks.

Still. She might have questions about Stoick, might not respect him as much as she should, but she is so, so proud to call herself the member of a tribe whose leader was brave enough to embrace this change. He has a dragon, a creature he killed ruthlessly for years because he knew he was wrong.

She wishes everyone were capable of that.

***

Trader Johann shows up on Berk not long later. It’s always a fun time even if Hilda never really gets anything. Mildew decides everything they’re getting and she just comes along to carry it. It’s still cool to look at all the new things, though, even if there’s not really anything she can get. Not that she really needs anything, except things for the farm.

Also, it’s a nice excuse to be down by the dock at the same time as all the dragon riders – and about half the other population on Berk. She has to stick close to Mildew but she still gets to be close to the dragons.

The chief has his down here. The thing is enormous and she has to admit it looks a little intimidating.

Toothless is jumping all over, and so are a group of Terrible Terrors.

“Ah, men riding dragons. What a magnificent sight,” Johann comments, looking up at the sky as the chief flies away on his.

Finally someone else who gets it.

“Johann!” Mildew snaps from behind him. He sounds extra irked, not like that’s unusual. “Did you bring what I want?”

“Always straight to the point. I like that!” Johann exclaims, gesturing to the covered basket on the ship.

What did he ask for? Hilda actually has no idea.

Mildew gives him a basket of cabbage in exchange, “Take this to the house,” he orders Hilda, pushing the basket of unidentified content at her.

She nods, a little disappointed, as she heads for the ramp.

***

The last thing she’s expecting when she gets back to the house is to see that it’s a basket full of flower bushes. “Grandpa?” Hilda asks, completely baffled, “What are these for?” She doesn’t think Mildew’s bought flowers once in his life.

“For the town square,” he replies, “It could use… decoration. Take them down there this evening and plant them.”

Well. Finally a job she really doesn’t mind.

Not that she minds farm work or anything, but it’s nice to get to do something interesting. “Okay,” she says cheerfully. Well, maybe her grandfather isn’t all bad. Something genuinely seems a little weird about this, but maybe she’s the one being too judgmental lately.

“Why this suddenly?” Hilda can’t help asking, even if she probably shouldn’t entertain a conversation longer than she has to. That’s never wise.

“With all those dragons crawling everywhere, the town square could use some better color” he gripes.

Ugh. She wishes she hadn’t asked.

Actually, sorry, but the town square has far more color with the dragons crawling everywhere than it did before. It’s pretty – if only he’d have the eyes to admire it a bit more.

***

Hilda does head down there late that afternoon, after most of her farm work for the day is done, and finds a nice spot to plant them.  The area is right near Ruffnut and Tuffnut’s house.

She can’t believe they get a tiny house all to themselves. She’s actually still a little ejealous.

“Hey, Hilda,” Ruffnut says, as her and her brother finish rolling across the ground together or whatever they’re doing and land only feet away from her. “What are you doing?”

“Planting… these,” she says, gesturing to the basket.

“Something that blows up?” Tuffnut asks hopefully.

Hilda can’t help her startled laugh. “Wha kind of plant would blow up?”

He shrugs.

“Cool ones,” Ruffnut offers.

“Nope,” Hilda replies, “Just these. Sorry to disappoint.” She pulls the cover of the basket.

“I still think it would be funnier if they blew up,” Tuffnut says, as he and his sister start to head back to their yard. She can’t help watching them for a minute, unable to shake the gnawing longing burning in her heart. She’s always been alone. She doesn’t even know what it would be like have a friend, much less a sibling. They do everything together and she sees how much they hti each other but at least they have each other.

“Just try not to have Barf and Belch trample them,” Hilda calls. That would be a shame, with how pretty they are.

“Ooh, we’ll try,” Ruffnut replies cheerfully.

“Try to or try not to?” she asks dryly.

“Both!” Tuffnut offers.

…What? It’s probably best not to ask. These two actually scare her.

“Mildew probably wouldn’t like that much,” she says, slightly amused as she finishes getting the ground dug up and then puts the plants in place.

“Mildew?” Ruffnut asks, perking up.

“We almost lost Barf and Belch because of him,” Tuffnut says, scowling.

“So at least we know if we want to make him really, really angry…” Ruffnut turns a gleeful, conspiratorial smile towards her twin.

Hilda doesn’t catch the rest of what they’re saying. Well, it’s actually relieving to see someone else being angry about what he’s done. Even if it’s also a little uncomfortable considering who she is and what she knows about it.

She tries hard to stop watching the twins as they go back to playing together and focus on her own work. Like… she’s always done. It was still nice to get to talk to them a little.

***

Hilda’s not back into town until the next evening when everyone’s eating at the Great Hall. It’s normal to see dragons in here. It’s really not normal to be walking through the streets and seeing dragons lying miserably on the ground everywhere.

What’s happening?

Toothless is inside next to Hiccup like usual, but he has his head on his front legs and his eyes are barely open.

She really, really needs to know what’s happening. She waits until everyone’s leaving the Great Hall to duck away from Mildew and go over to Hiccup.

“What’s happening?” she asks, frowning.

“He’s sick,” Hiccup says, petting Toothless’ head who looks up at him miserably, his eyes half closed. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Dragons get sick?” she blurts out. Okay, that was probably stupid. Any animal can get sick. It’s just never something she’s even heard of before. Not that it’s overly surprising when Vikings have been fighting dragons for centuries until a few months ago, but it’s still jarring. What they wouldn’t have done to find something poisonous to dragons back in the war days?

How did nobody know and think to use that on them? Not that she’s… not glad nobody knew.

“I don’t know what it is,” Hiccup replies, “It’s spreading everywhere.” He looks miserable and scared.

Hilda is too. This is… weird. “Are they just getting worse?” she asks tentatively, even if she’s afraid for the answer.

He nods, sighing. “We haven’t figured out what to do yet.”

That’s not something she knows a thing about. She wishes there was something she could do to help but there’s not.

And there’s Mildew. It’s time to go.

She slips away from Hiccup and keeps moving like nothing happened at all. Hopefully the dragons will just… get better. The way people usually always do from getting sick. It’s not like they’ve even known dragons long enough to know if there’s a time of year where they often get sick or something. Maybe it’s just that. Hopefully.

***

Hilda doesn’t hear anything about the situation again for the next couple days. Mildew’s had her busy out here. Hopefully not because he spotted her talking to Hiccup but he probably would’ve mentioned it if he had. And it’s not like there aren’t many days where she never has time to go to the town anyway.

It’s just… different to not look up in the sky and see dragons flying overhead anymore. It’s not like there’s less. There’s not even a single one.

It’s freaking her out, honestly. How are they all this sick? What’s happening? And she’ll have way of finding out if any of them are getting better until they make a trip to town again. Not like there’s anything she can do about it anyway, but it’s hard not to worry.

It’s the next evening when they’re eating that someone knocks on the door of their house.

That’s… slightly unusual.

People don’t usually come out here, unless it’s for buying things and no one would be doing that after dark. Unless it was something really urgent, but the knocking itself sounds urgent and heavy. Maybe she’s just… jittery. And worried. She can’t stop thinking about Toothless, curled miserably on the ground.

Her grandfather gets up to get the door.

“Mildew?” she hears Stoick’s voice ask and she stands as the door opens the rest of the way to reveal Stoick, Hiccup, and Astrid. None of them look happy.

“What do you need?” Mildew asks, distinctly grumpy.

“You planted those flowers in the town square, didn’t you?” Astrid asks and she sounds accusing.

“Hilda did,” Mildew replies, “Why?”

The other three’s gaze sweep past Mildew to her.

“Are you aware that these flowers are poisonous to reptiles?” Stoick asks.

Hilda freezes.

What?

They are? That’s a – thing?

Of course it is.

But – but –

“They are?” she asks, faintly. Is that why Mildew wanted them? Because – because he did this? Again?

“Why would you plant that kind of flower?” Astrid demands.

Her mind is whirling and she can’t think. She feels sick. And that was so stupid. She should’ve guessed, known, that Mildew would never have her do something like plant flowers. But she never could’ve considered it was something like this. “I – I didn’t know, I’m so sorry –”

“Well, so what if I had her plant some flowers?” Mildew asks, “The town square has never looked better. I was merely trying to spread some beauty and happiness.”

Yes, that. Because that’s the most unlike her grandfather thing ever and she has no idea why didn’t see it. The timing, the –

And she helped him.

“Since when have you cared about beauty or happiness?” Astrid demands, glaring. Hilda’s actually proud of her.

“You did this,” Hiccup accuses. It’s strange to see him looking so angry. She always liked him because he was never angry. He was always so sweet, so understanding, so kind – and it hurts more than she can say that there are things that can make him lose himself, something Hilda’s own family has done to him.

“What? Me?” Mildew scoffs, “Well, I had no inkling, Stoick, that these flowers had special properties. Oh, it's true, I'm no friend of the dragons, but in this case, on my life, I was not trying to harm them.”

Sure he wasn’t.

That doesn’t even –

This is way too convenient. It doesn’t make sense. And it’s happened way too many times in a row now. There’s a tiny part of her that wants to believe he’s telling the truth. But she’s not stupid. She should’ve known Mildew wasn’t going to stop.

From the look Stoick, Astrid, and Hiccup are giving him, she doesn’t think they believe it either. But they don’t have any proof. She almost, terrifyingly, wishes they did.

“Let’s go,” Stoick says finally, turning away.

There’s a tiny part of her that’s the tiniest bit relieved that she’s not about to see her grandfather get taken and uhh – Whatever exactly would happen for the kind of things he’s been doing.

But maybe that would be better. Maybe. She’s so, so angry at him. First he tries to get all the dragons sent away and then he tries to kill them?

“Ah, the poor, poor dragons,” Mildew scoffs, once the door is closed behind them.

He thinks this is funny? Seriously?

“You’re killing them,” Hilda accuses, heart pounding.

“Like we’ve always done here on Berk.”

How many times are they going to have this exact same conversation? And by now it’s like everyone knows that he’s doing it but they don’t have actual physical proof to do anything about it. And that knowledge of the trouble he could be in still apparently isn’t enough to make him stop. 

“How can you keep doing this?” Hilda asks. fighting back the sudden, desperate urge to cry. She’s never doing that in front of her grandfather but she can’t keep dealing with this. It’s too – too much. And she thinks about how their last argument ended and she should really shut up before this escalates badly again. 

“Why would I have known about some special properties flowers have?” he asks, in a way that makes it even more obvious that this had to be his doing. And he’s seriously just going to play stupid about it? “And that’s enough out of you for the night,” he adds shortly, turning to go back to the table.

Hilda snaps her mouth shut even if all she wants to do is just start screaming. Or crying.

She’s the reason all the dragons are dying. She’s…

She would never hurt them intentionally, but it doesn’t erase what she still caused, and HIlda has no idea if they’re going to survive or not. This stuff is… poisonous? She did this. She hurt them. Because… she thought she was helping? Hilda has absolutely no idea, but it feels like all she ever does is hurt.

She’s more than relieved to sneak away into her bedroom, shaking, trying to get her mind in order.

Astrid is angry at her, and she ought to be – Hilda could get her dragon killed for all she knows. She deserves that anger. And a thousand times more.

Someone knocks on the door again, loudly.

Hilda nearly jumps at the suddenness.

Mildew mutters something under his breath that she hopes wasn’t seriously something unflattery about the chief – is he for real? As far as Chief’s go, Stoick is good – and goes to open the door again.

It is the three of them, and Fishlegs and Gobber are there too this time.

“Those flowers need to be dug up, Mildew,” Stoick tells him, a bit shortly, “And then we’re taking the boats out to get the cure for the dragons.”

“And that means you’re coming along,” Astrid says, somewhere between sweetly and ferally at once.

“Me?” Mildew repeats, incredulous.

“If you had no inkling to harm the dragons, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Stoick tells him flatly. “And you certainly should have no problem helping us correct the harm you unknowingly helped creature.”

She’s starting to see where Hiccup got his roasting abilities from. This is glorious.

Mildew growls but storms out. It’s a direct order from the Chief – there’s not much he can do to argue with it. All Vikings know that, no matter who they are.

“Hilda, go dig up those flowers,” he snaps over his shoulder.

Well, that she’s going to do gladly. She’s the one who planted them, after all, even if it was Mildew’s fault. And either way, she wants to do something to help make this right even if that feels like a very insignificant help.

Mildew ends up helping her with it since everyone’s waiting to take the flowers with them on this boat trip. Hilda doesn’t follow the details, just that they’re going to find some dragon and steal its venom or something.

She just hopes this is going to work.

Barf and Belch are lying unmoving in the twins’ yard and now she can’t help wondering if the reason they seem even more still than some of the other dragons is because they’re so close to these things. The twins are out by their dragon.

From the looks of it, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Astrid are all staying behind too. That… actually gives her the chance to go check on all of them. And she wants to, after what she’s accidentally caused.

She goes over to the twins first. “Hey,” Hilda says, a little awkwardly, “Sorry about the flowers. I didn’t know what they were gonna do.”

“Whatever,” Tuffnut grumbles dismally, “I just hope this works.”

“At least it’s making Mildew miserable,” Ruffnut offers.

Hilda almost laughs. It would be funnier if she wasn’t so afraid that none of the dragons are going to end up getting better.

“I wish I could enjoy it,” Tuffnut says, going over to Barf and Belch and petting what Hilda’s actually pretty sure is the wrong head. The dragon hardly twitches.

That’s how badly sick they are. 

Hilda wishes she knew what more to say to them but she doesn’t. She slowly goes on from their house to the next of the riders and finds Fishlegs first.

“H,” she says, shuffling a little awkwardly, “How’s Meatlug?”

“She’s poisoned. I can’t believe she was poisoned,” Fishlegs says in a rush.

She winces. “I – I know. I’m sorry, I should’ve known what he was doing. He’s Mildew – I don’t think he’s…”

“We still don’t even know if there’s a cure,” Fishlegs says, a bit panicked.

Panic seizes in her chest instantly. “But I thought that’s where everyone went.”

“Yes,” Fishlegs agrees, “If Scauldron's have venom it could be used as a cure since they eat the Blue Oleander but the Book of Dragons said they don’t have venom. Gobber said that he fought them before and they do but we won’t know anything until they come back.”

She knows why he’s so worried but Gobber ought to know what he’s talking about. “I’m sure Gobber would know what he’s talking about,” Hilda offers. It feels like a pathetic reassurance.

“What if they can’t find one?” Fishlegs objects, “Or what if they aren’t able to get any venom? We don’t know if this is going to work and if it doesn’t work then the dragons are going to die.”

Yeah, she can’t blame him for being this scared. It makes her feel even more awful for how this happened from something she did. Definitely the last time she’s carrying out some strange order from Mildew… Oh wait, not like she’s gonna get a choice in that. “I’m sure Hiccup’s not gonna let you down,” Hilda points out, hesitantly reaching out to touch Fishlegs’ arm.

He doesn’t look very relieved. “Scouldron’s spray boiling water,” Fishlegs frets.

Yikes. She knew that some type of dragon did that but hearing it’s the one Hiccup is going after right now is…. something differently entirely. “I guess for now, all we can do is wait. If there’s anything I can do to help Meatlug, I’d be glad too.”

“All she’s doing now is sleeping,” Fishlegs says, turning back to his dragon and wrapping an arm around it.

She tries not to think too hard on what it would be like to be that close with anyone.

There’s probably really not much she can do so she keeps walking, finding herself near Snotlout’s house next.

He’s outside with Hookfang, who’s sprawled on the grass, eyes closed.

“How is he?” Hilda asks a little awkwardly, approaching.

She’s never really talked to Snotlout much. Most of the time she’s even been around him aside from passing is during the Thawfest games.

“I brought him outside so I wouldn’t have to keep scraping dragon barf off of my bedroom walls,” Snotlout gripes.

Hilda shudders and winces at once. “That would be… unpleasant.”

“I was up all night,” he grumbles, reaching down pat Hookfang on the head. The dragon doesn’t even twitch, “I still can’t believe Mildew put those stupid flowers in the town square.”

Yeah, she still can’t either. “Technically that was me,” Hilda says, with a sigh.

“Well, girls like flowers. Obviously he had you do it.”

That seems like a slightly general statement but she’s just grateful that none of them really seem to blame her personally for it. Even if it almost feels like they should. “If you need a hand with Hookfang – ”

“Oh,” Snotlout interjects, “You can have my hand any time.” He holds a hand out towards her.

What? “Uhh,” Hilda squeaks, backing a step off, and feeling her face flushing, “That’s not exactly what I meant.”

“It’s what I mean,” he offers with a smile that she’s pretty sure is intended to be flirty.

Help. What does she do? No one’s ever even given her enough attention for that kind of thing before. Why would they when she hardly gets to be around any child her age anyway? And that’s the last thing she’d ever be thinking about when it comes to Snotlout. But well, it means a lot that he’d even pay attention to her enough to… notice? Ugh. Not that she’s interested and this is so weird, but –

“Thanks…?” Hilda offers, and she wishes her face would stop flushing. That’s just making this even more awkward, “But I uhh… probably need to go now?”

“You can come back anytime,” Snotlout calls after her.

She pauses to very awkwardly offer him a smile before she keeps going.

Astrid’s inside her house when she passes it and she doesn’t really know the girl well enough to knock so she keeps moving, making her way across the village to the chief’s house.

It’s weird to just go in but no one’s around to check on Toothless. She can see him through the window and it hurts to see him like this, even if she doesn’t even know him. Aside from that he’s her favorite dragon and definitely the cutest, but uhh…

Toothless lifts his head the tiniest bit when she enters. “Hi?” Hilda offers, going over to him slowly, “You were alone here so I thought I’d just… drop by?”

The dragon’s head lowers back to it’s front legs. He doesn’t even have the energy to talk. How close are they to dying?

She very slowly kneels in front of him. It’s strange being here this close to a dragon for really the first time, when no one’s watching her.

“Can I touch you?” she asks, a little awkwardly.

His eyes move a little. She doesn’t know them well enough to read it but she lifts her hand very slowly, the way she’s watched Hiccup do from a distance. Toothless doesn’t twitch away so she scoots closer very slowly, until she’s lightly touching his snout.

It’s the first time she’s really touched a dragon before. It’s – amazing. All she can do now is hope it’s not going to be the last. Either because all the dragons end up dead or because she’s never gonna get the chance anyway.

Hilda finally settles for just staying there, keep Toothless company.

It doesn’t occur to her that she should probably have been a little more aware of the time until the front door opens. Hilda jumps, spinning around.

It’s Hiccup, with a bucket of… something. Hopefully that venom stuff?

“Hilda?” Hiccup asks, looking a bit taken by surprise.

“Hi.” She fumbles for something to say. And she has no idea why it feels so awkward sometimes now. “I just… thought Toothless could use some company.”

He smiles slightly as he comes over, crouching in front of Toothless and offering the bucket to him to drink. “Thanks,” he tells her, “I didn’t want to leave him alone but everyone else was with their dragons.”

Which reminds her of Mildew. She better get out of here. “If my grandfather’s back, I better go.”

“Yeah, he’s back.” Hiccup looks up. “Hilda, if you ever want to… learn to ride a dragon, I’d be happy to teach you.”

He offered that once before but it’s not that easy. It nearly makes her want to cry thinking about how badly she wants it and is never going to get it. “Thanks,” Hilda tells him anyway, “But I – I don’t think I can make that choice right now.”

She turns to go, no matter how much she might want to stay. It’s back to the farm for her. Probably best she gets back there and pretends she never even left before Mildew makes it there.

Chapter Text

Nobody likes lightning. Hilda sure doesn’t – she used to hide under her bed when she was little every time she heard a lightning storm, terrified that it was a dragon attack. There are legends about a type of dragon that could control lightning. Hilda has no idea if that’s real or not, but she never cared to go outside and find out. Now, at fifteen, she knows that’s probably all a myth, but it doesn’t stop the fear clawing inside her at the distant crashing.

The lightning… hits Berk. It usually strikes in the forest or at random in the ocean, and Hilda never bothered to stop and consider what Thor was throwing a tantrum about, but now she’s… worried.

“It’s those dragons!” Mildew fumes as he watches the distant flashes striking the city. “We have to go talk some sense into those people.”

“We?” Hilda mutters under her breath with a sigh, grabbing her overcoat and irritated-ly slowly trailing her grandfather as he heads outside, staff and all, of course stopping to collect the poor sheep he takes right along. Sometimes, she thinks Fungus dislikes Mildew almost as much as her, but oh, what does she know? She doesn’t actually care what his grandfather’s beloved sheep thinks.

She hates it, and him.

Hilda still flinches as lightning strikes again. There’s chaos everywhere. The explosions are tearing across Berk, and a lot of things are burning. Astrid is, once again, trying to lead a group of people out to put out the fires – that’s not a new sight. It’s just funny to see dragons helping her, and almost strange that they’re not the ones who caused the fires.

Not that it really matters when her grandfather is going all-out in trying to prepare another anti-dragon rant… this one that could actually form into a mob.

That’s what scares her the worst.

She doesn’t remember Barnstat, but she remembers hearing about him, and the type that followed sometimes. A thief, allegedly, who was sailing forma lot of people, and then his ship along with Berk’s whole fleet was torched by lightning. He got hit through the head, and was shipped off into sea.

That’s the last time Berk’s city itself had a real lightning storm, and if Mildew tries to blame this on the dragons, which is –

Toothless’s sudden, sharp cry has her looking skywards towards the dragon perches. Another bolt comes down onto the perch he’s seating on, and he jumps to another, only for the same thing to happen. He jumps to the ground into Hiccup’s waiting arms, whimpering panickily.

Yeah. Yeah, Hilda kind of feels like that, too.

“Did you all see that?” Mildew calls out.

“Look, the lightning is following him!” another villager exclaims.

“Don't you all understand?” Mildew calls, waving his staff. “Thor is mad at all of us! And I'll tell you why. Because of him!” He points at Toothless. “As you all know, the Night Fury is the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself! We've let him live among us and now we will all pay the price!”

“It did seem as though the lighting struck right at the dragon,” one of the villagers unhelpfully points out.

It could have been chance. Hilda knows that – it doesn’t make any sense. Why would their entire village pay the price for accepting Toothless? And why would Thor be angry at Toothless? He’s… a Night Fury, a dragon, but gentle and so, so kind. Hilda has seen him – he’s been through a lot because of humans, and he holds nothing against them.

Hilda’s personally not entirely sure that was the right choice.

“Yes, right at the dragon!” Mildew shouts. “And a lighting storm the likes of which we've never had! There is but one thing for us to do: banish the Night Fury! It's the only way!”

Ugh. Why is no one telling him to shut up?

A murmur runs through the crowd. She hears several agreeing shouts, and flinches. This is ridiculous. “Do I need to remind you that it was hitting the posts, not the dragon?” Hilda asks. She wishes she could swallow her own words, but they’re already tumbling out, and she might as well keep talking. “I don’t think Thor would miss.” That’s actually ludicrous. How could Thor miss if he wanted Toothless dead?

“Oh, bah!” Mildew scoffs, whirling his furious gaze on her. “Thor is angry at us because of the Night Fury. You all saw it!”

“That’s ridiculous!” Hiccup yells from atop the hill.

“If we don’t act now, well, need I remind you of… Barnstat!” A gasp goes up in the crowd. Yeah, even Hilda has heard about that. But she can’t let them do that to Toothless. Hilda doesn’t know him, but she doesn’t need to.

It’s bad enough Mildew keeps trying to kill him.

There has to be a line. She can’t keep taking this forever.

“You're right, all of you!” Stoick calls out. “Thor is angry, but I don't believe he's angry at Toothless.”

“That's right,” his son agrees, “Have you all forgotten what Toothless has done for this village?!”

Saved them.

Toothless is the one who brought peace. Hiccup and Toothless, the first Viking and dragon to bond, the two who found each other’s love and friendship in an impossible circumstance. It’s crazy. But they made it work somehow – because it’s who they are.

She has so much respect for them all, standing up carelessly to the entire village – Hilda herself is just here, cowering. She’s so pathetic. She can’t even argue with her own grandfather? Not even for… Toothless? He’s so sweet. He deserves all the fight there is, but here’s Hilda instead, caving and cowering, because she’s too afraid to fight.

Hiccup wasn’t.

And he changed the world forever for it.

Maybe it’s time for her to learn to fight a bit, too.

“Well, then who do you suppose he's angry at?” Mildew throws out there.

“I don’t presume to know Thor's mind, Mildew,” Stoick answers shortly, “But we will find a way to soothe his anger.”

“Oh, you won’t,” Mildew scoffs, “You can try, but nothing you do will matter, because we already know who he’s angry at!”

“The lightning was hitting the posts,” Hilda throws out there again, “Just a… reminder? Maybe he’s angry at those.”

“And the lightning was just following the Night Fury by chance?” Mildew scoffs, pushing her back from the rest of the crowd, probably to herd her home, because she clearly can’t be told to walk on her own two feet. “I didn’t take you for such a stupid one.”

Oh, that’s what it’s gonna be, isn’t it?

***

Hiccup and his friends went all-out building a giant statue. Hilda can say she’s impressed, and she wishes she could’ve helped. It’s beautiful, and unlike Mildew, she’s certain it’ll work – until the storm comes back. Hilda has already been dragged into town and is just sitting nearby, watching worriedly as the first lightning strikes start coming.

“I should help with the fires,” Hilda says, lips pressing together tightly as she scans the chaos, unease and fear churning heavily in her gut. She can already make to the twins lounging atop their house, watching gleefully. They’re like that.

“Stoick’s boy and his dragon are causing all this damage, and you just want to clean up after them?” Mildew demands, glowering down at her.

Uh. Yeah, actually, yeah – Hiccup is a friend, and if she’s being honest, despite her fear of the lightning, the storms and the fire, she believes in him. She doesn’t care about what it takes to fight for it, if she’s being honest.

Mildew tried to turn Hiccup over to Alvin, tried to get Toothless killed – how can you get much worse than that? Because as far as she’s concerned…

Well, it would be a very hard thing.

Assuming it’s even possible.

“No,” She mutters, rubbing at her arms. “But Berk is still burning down, and regardless of what caused it – starting a mob is not my specialty, Grampa. What we need is a level-head, not panic.”

Lightning crackles again, and she flinches, jumping and looking up at the earsplitting roar of thunder that cracks through the air. Another lightning bolt, this one longer and more blinding than the last few, crashes right down onto the statue outside the Great Hall, electrifying it and redirecting it into a nearby house, which immediately explodes into a scorched fireball.

“That’s what Thor thinks of the statue!” Mildew yells viciously. “I told you what he wants, and we haven't given it to him! Until we rid this island of that Night Fury, Thor's fire will continue to rain down upon us!”

People are gathering around, panic mounting by the minute.

What can she do against a panicking Viking mob? Hilda has no idea – she’s terrified, and she doesn’t understand why this is happening, either. How could she? She’s fifteen – this is the kind of thing the village goes to Stoick or Gothi about. Maybe someone should go to Gothi – if anyone knows what’s happening, it would be the village elder.

Not that she even knows how to get there, especially not through the chaos.

Mildew is gathering a group of people go to After Hiccup and Toothless, but Hilda has no idea how she could help.

Somebody needs to warn him.

And she would do… what?

She couldn’t beat them there, and neither does she have a possible solution without talking to him.

She’s an awful friend. It’s best if she doesn’t stick her neck out for them – all she’ll do is get him and everyone hurt even worse. That’s all she ever does.

Hilda goes for water buckets instead.

Gobber’s out yelling at a few people, and Astrid swoops by on Stormfly, yelling at the twins to get off the roof.

“Fine, whatever, we’re coming!” Tuffnut yells grumpily.

“Yeah,” Ruffnut shrugs. “In a minute.”

“On the ground, now!” Astrid yells, irritated, and swoops away. Nadder’s are… so colorful and graceful. It’s a crazy thing to say from a Viking, regardless of who they are. Dragons are their enemies, and here all Hilda can do is stand here and watch them in awe.

Distantly, she can hear the yells, people pounding on Stoick’s front door, demanding then turn over Toothless to vent their fear. Mildew thinks dragons aren’t worthy of walking among humans. Personally, Hilda doesn’t think humans are worthy of having these things walk among them.

She takes off to grab a water bucket.

“We need more water!” Fishlegs yells over the fire.

“Why don’t you tell Hiccup or something?” Snotlotu calls irritably, “Him and Toothless can fetch some.”

“There’s a slight problem with that,” Hilda yells, waving.

“What do you mean, problem?” Fishlegs asks, landing in front of her and clinging to his Gronkle. “Did something happen? Is he hurt?”

“No. N – not yet, but Mildew’s leading a group of people to his house. They want Toothless turned over. I –”

“Your grandfather’s trying to have Toothless killed?!” Fishlegs asks, panicking. She can hear it 0 his eyes are wide with panic, and his dragon looks equally terrified.

“I tried to stop him,” she blurts out, “I – I don’t know what to do. This is going too far, and if we can’t figure something out, then…”

Then Berk will be wiped off the map, that’s what. She has no idea why this is happening. The lightning is… bad. Really, really bad.

“If they’re gonna hurt Toothless, we’ll blast them into the ground!” Tuffnut yells as he and his sister sail up on their dragon.

“Yeah!” Ruffnut cheers, flinging her arms in the air. “I wanna blast Mildew, anyway.”

Hilda… actually almost wouldn’t mind in her current mood. She cannot believe what he’s done. Unwillingness to forgive is one thing, though trying to constantly pursue vengeance on anything and everything that even the slightest reminds you of it, or that crossed your paths is just… insane.

Hilda has grudges, sure. With her grampa, and about only with him, and she hates herself for it sometimes, but there’s a line

She can’t just stay quiet about what he’s doing anymore.

“I don’t know what to say,” she offers finally, because honestly, she won’t stop them. “But I don’t think adding more fire to the fire is going to help calm things down.”

“Hey!” Astrid swoops up on Stormfly, face dark in a scowl. “What are you guys doing just sitting out here?”

“Who put you in charge?” Snotlout calls sassily.

“Where’s Hiccup?” Fishlegs worries.

“Gone,” she replies shortly, “he took Toothless and left. They flew off. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”

Hilda sags, relief washing over her in a heartbeat. Good. That’s – it hurts, but it’s good. IF they’re gone, no one can hurt them.

“Meanwhile,” Astrid interjects, “We’re going to help put out the fires. Hilda, come with me.”

She doesn’t need to be told twice, through climbing onto the back of a dragon is… weird. It also doesn’t feel wrong.

“How do you get them to do this?” she asks, awed, leaning over the ground as air slaps her face, surroundings blurring by. “Just listen to you?”

“You have to earn it’s trust,” Astrid answers shortly, “I don’t think that’s something your grandfather has been great at teaching you.”

“No kidding,” Hilda agrees with absolute dryness. “He’s never said a word, and if he had, it would be absolute rubbish.”

Astrid snorts. “Ohh, so you know.”

“Yes, Astrid, I know exactly who my grandfather is. I have to live with him, you know.”

“You honestly didn’t know about the Blue Oleander?”

“Really?” Hilda can’t help the little sting of hurt that rolls right out with it. “You think I would hurt Toothless knowingly? Any of these dragons?”

“I mean, they did kill your parents.”

Astrid genuinely thinks Hilda might… have done that on purpose. Okay, it’s fair, just… it hurts. She deserves that anger and suspicion, though. She really does – it was only a month ago that she nearly got all their dragons killed. That’s on her, entirely. Almost.

She should’ve mentioned it. Should’ve seen or figured something out, just like she ought to now, but Hilda has always been a coward. She can’t do the same things everybody else can. She can’t fight authority. She doesn’t even know how anyone can – the last time she tried, it ended with Mildew hitting her for sassing about how his helmet looked more like a dragon than the heads strung on the walls.

She used to call him a dragon as an insult in her head.

She feels awful about that now, too. Dragons are so much kinder than her grandfather ever was.

She nearly killed them, and they forgave her? Because it was an accident.

And now a Viking mob is gonna kill Toothless.

And what can Hilda do to stop it?

They keep carrying water from the well and the nearby lakes. Meatlug, Hilda realizes quickly, is slow. Hilda herself offers to taking lowering and raising the water buckets, passing them onto Astrid, who flies it to the next person. They try to make a line to speed it up.

Its… working, and the worst of the storm has abated, but some lightning strikes are still running.

“I think that’s it,” Astrid mutters, wiping her forehead on her sleeve.

“Uhhh…. Guys?” Fishlegs squeaks, “I really hate to be the voice of doom, but…”

Hilda follows his pointing finger to a distant flash of trailing smoke against the now-morning but still dark sky. Toothless. A faint, strangled gasp catches in her throat.

“Uh, is that Toothless?” Tuffnut asks.

“Wow,” his sister offers sympathetically.

“This isn’t funny,” Hilda snaps, “If the mob found Toothless, they’re gonna throw him into the ocean.”

Everyone’s quiet.

“I’m gonna throw them into the ocean!” Snotlout yells abruptly, “Try me! Come on, Hookfang!”

“No, we need to get Hiccup,” Astrid interjects, shaking her head. “If Toothless crashed, so did he. There’s a reason dragons don’t fly in lightning storms. They’re collateral damage.”

“Good thing they weren’t over the sea,” Fishlegs worries, “Though they soon will be!”

“What do we do?” Hilda asks. She’s trying to breathe, but breathing feels more like a suggestion of life than an important reality right now. She’s soaked, through and through from the rain, and that’s not at all helping the cold or shivering.

If she gets sick from this, she’s blaming grampa. Not that he’ll even care. That’s another thing that’s more of a suggestion than reality.

“We have to find and warn Hiccup,” Astrid calls, “Come on!”

“Nobody’s going to try to stop them?”

“We’re not crazy,” Tuffnut complains, “At least I’m not.” His sister glares at him. “We’re not going up against a Viking mob.”

Maybe she’s the crazy one, because for Hiccup and Toothless, she almost would. Almost. Just… some things she’s too afraid to even try, often even think about trying – or she thinks she would’ve adopted a dragon a long time ago. Probably. Likely, only Hiccup would ever know how to approach them without also angering or alerting them.

They fly over the woods, dodging a few lightning bolts as the dragons whine and try to scatter, but stay dutifully in line where ordered. The way they blindly follow these people, it’s… impressive.

She’s awed.

The courage, the sheer, unending loyalty of these creatures – it isn’t something she can understand, and probably that most Vikings on Berk or anywhere ever will. She wouldn’t fly in a lightning storm for anyone other than Hiccup, either.

“I see him,” Snotlout calls at a figure moving towards the edge of the village.

Hiccup.

“We need eyes on Toothless,” Hilda dares to point out – the Night Fury is almost more important than Hiccup himself. The villagers won’t hurt him… yet. Probably. Though if the storm doesn’t abate after they’re done with Toothless, it’s hard to say who they’ll turn their rage on next.

The dragon, though, for his part, can’t last.

“There they are,” Ruffnut calls, pointing through the rain. “Do they have that muzzle device? I thought the Chief said to get rid of that.”

He did. The one they built way back in the day of Red Death was burned and sunk, and the others were supposed to be repurposed. Somebody, apparently, kept one, and Hilda doesn’t think it was Mildew. That actually scares her. But hey, of course there are other people who still hate dragons.

“Hey!” Astrid yells, swooping overhead – on afterthought, Hilda realizes she should have switched dragons, or asked them to drop her. Mildew’s going to be so angry. That’s not good.

“You can’t hurt Toothless!” Snotlout yells, crashing in front of them on a flaming Hookfang.

“Get out of the way!” Mildew shouts, brandishing his staff. “Or we’ll take your dragons next!”

Fishlegs squeaks and grabs onto Meatlug, who looks panickily up at him.

He means it, and in the mood and mob, they definitely will. They must already have thrown Hiccup into the middle of the woods, because he’s nowhere near here. Hilda should’ve gone with him, made sure he’s safe.

“Oh, yeah?” Tuff snaps. “Try and get us!”

Their dragon sets off an explosion cloud and takes off into the chaos and smoke.

Smart and fast, but –

But they can’t stop these people without hurting them.

Yells are starting, weapons are being drawn, and this is going to escalate into murder in a moment’s notice.

“You have to pull back,” Hilda calls from behind Astrid on the Nadder. “If we fight, people are just going to die.” Even if she would be willing to do that for Toothless. She doesn’t know what that says about her.

“We’re not letting you do this!” Snotlout yells over the roar of the rain, and him and Hookfang take off in a flurry of flames.

The dragons meet up with Hiccup at the boy’s house, their friend grabbing a long metal…

Is that a pitchfork? What does he think he’s going to do with that?

“They’ve got Toothless,” Hilda says, pushing the door open, panting.

“And they’re about to float him into the ocean!” Fishlegs adds fearfully.

“I know,” Hiccup replies seriously. “Why do you think I have this?”

“Oh, tough one,” Tuffnut muses, “How many guesses do we get? Five?”

She really wants to facepalm. “Uh, Hiccup, I don’t think a pitchfork is gonna do anything against an angry Viking mob?”

“Oookay.” He sighs. “I have a plan. It’s a good one… I think. Come on. Snotlout, fly me to the docks?”

They sprint back outside to their dragons. The Nadder is waiting for them, snorting softly when Hilda and Astrid approach her. It’s strange to see a dragon this… peaceful? Stormfly’s fast… and beautiful, really.

It makes Hilda almost wish she could have a Nadder of her own.

By the time they get there, she can see only Stoick, Gobber, and a few others standing against the mob, having forced their way between the group and Toothless. They’re willing to fight to the death – which is… about going to be needed.

Hookfang swoops by with a trail of fire, flames tearing a mark on the ground, and Stormfly’s spikes embed themselves in the dirt to hold the mob back.

Hiccup jumps from the Nightmare’s back, weapon in hand. “Stop!” he yells, “Stop. You could get rid of Toothless, you could throw him off the edge of the world, but it's not going to stop this lighting from destroying Berk. It's the metal.” He lifts the object as show. “The lightning is hitting the metal! Just think about it. We never had a lightning storm like this until we put up those perches, that statue, right? And they're all made of metal!”

Huh.

Despite the ludicrousness, that actually… makes sense.

It was only hitting the statue and perch stands, from what she remembers. Maybe it outright hit a few homes, she doesn’t really remember, but either way, it always seemed channeled through one of the two. It’s… confusing.

Mildew scoffs. “You ever heard of anything so insane?” he throws out.

“Y – you see?” He runs over to Toothless, lifting the dragon’s tail to show them the twisted, burned rods, the fabric remains nearly incinerated, scorched – that must be where he was hit when he was flying and what made him crash.  “This is where the lighting struck Toothless. On this connecting rod... this metal connecting rod.”

Hilda believes him. It makes sense, but she thinks she’s the only one.

“Look, if you don’t believe me, I can prove it,” Hiccup continues, grabbing the metal rod again and runs to Stormfly where Hilda has dismounted, standing tentatively nearby. She should’ve hitched a ride with Hookfang after all. The Monstrous Nightmare is just…

Big, and she’s still – stupidly – afraid of it. he seems moody and kind of… violent.

Hiccup has Stormfly take him up to atop the ship, gripping onto the mast. Stoick yells at him to stop, but he’s stubborn, and he’s trying to save his dragon.

“You’ll all see for yourselves,” Hiccup shouts down to them. “When I attach this metal rod to the top of this mast, the lighting will be drawn to –”

The lightning strikes before he even finishes talking, striking the rod then him, a deafening roar of thunder making Hilda flinch. Stoick yells his son’s name, and Toothless rips free of his restraints, diving into the water to pull Hiccup out where he fell.

He took a lightning bolt… to the head.

That could’ve killed him.

Stoick lifts him into his arms with a gentleness that makes Hilda nearly envious.

She doesn’t even know if he’ll survive.

Astrid and Snotlout are crowding in nearby, fussing, Toothless curled halfway around the boy’s side already.

The twins call their friend’s name, gliding up on Barf and Belch, a series of questions sprouting out all around.

“He’s breathing,” Stoick answers shortly. “We have to take him to Gothi.” The Chief’s dragon swoops in, and the rest of them mount up.

Astrid gives Hilda a brief nod that she returns, then jumps back onto Stormfly. Snotlout smiles at her, and she does her best to return it – though it’s hard. The twins wave, and she tries to wave back before her grandfather grabs her by the arm to haul her away.

“I told you not to get involved!” he yells.

“They wanted me to help put the fires out,” Hilda mutters.

“You were on a dragon!”

“It was faster than walking. I did what I was told.”

“That is clearly not the case!”  He shoos her back in the direction of the house, and Hilda tries to tune out his grumbling. As long as Hiccup and Toothless are alive, that’s all she cares about.

Chapter Text

She could swear a few times when she wakes, Mildew isn’t in the house. It’s strange, because he never goes out at night, and definitely never leaves Hilda at home alone unwarned. He always makes sure she has something to occupy herself with, though recently, since the lightning passed, he’s been… different.

Hilda tries not to worry, but she has a really, really bad feeling that his past few… things haven’t been adding up to nothing. Like maybe her grandfather is truly going insane.

She keeps working, annoyed at how she’s only heard word from a distance through a dozen separate people that Hiccup survived the lightning, and even the scarring is minimal. But she hasn’t see him, Toothless, or any of the others since.

Well, somebody dropped the Thor statue in the back yard, and Hilda decides she loves them. It was probably Snotlout and the twins.

“I’ve made a decision, Hilda,” Mildew tells her finally one afternoon, the day right before Bork Week. “There are way too many dragons on Berk. It’s not fit for humans to inhabit it.”

“The humans here are doing quiet fine to me,” Hilda mutters.

“What was that?” he growls.

“Nothing,” she shrugs quickly.

“I won’t let you grow up on an island like this!” Mildew snaps. “These new ideas are poisoning your brain!” Poisoning? Her? “Pack up, Hilda. We’re leaving.”

“W – what?” Leaving? Berk? Berk is her home. She can’t imagine being anywhere else. It’s… it’s the only place she’s ever had to call home, and the peace here has been so good. Not having to worry about fighting, about everything that she’s not? It’s been so good here, and Mildew wants to take her, drag her off to some other random island, because he doesn’t want her to be here?

“You heard me!” he snaps irritably, “Pack up. We’re leaving. Now.”

She’s noticed, Hilda realizes, that he’s been gathering things together. She never thought about it before, but…

“W – we can’t just leave our farm!”

“If Stoick wants it handled so splendidly, he should ask his boy,” Mildew snaps. “Thor was angry at him and the Night Fury! I won’t have us his wrath continue to reign down upon us.”

Leave. She can’t run. He’ll be watching her. Maybe – maybe she can find a way back. She has to find a way back here. She’s never going to see Hiccup or his friends, or any of the dragons again. Hilda had no idea this was…

Going to happen.

She should have.

Looking back, Hilda feels like a complete idiot. She should have guessed. Of course, he’s been planning something like that. he was selling out the crop, and…

What does she do?

What is she supposed to do?

“Did I not make myself clear?”

“You did,” Hilda stutters out quickly. “But so suddenly, I…” She wants to say goodbye. She also knows Mildew did this just to make sure she can’t.

“There is nothing here for us, girl. You hear me? Now go!” Mildew shoves her towards her room with his staff.

Hilda goes, stumbling, unexpected tears in her eyes. Leaving this house would be amazing. Leaving Berk… would hurt. A lot – she has people here she cares about even if the island itself bears so little good. What if she never sees Hiccup again? He’s the only friend she has.

All she has are her clothes, a tiny stuffed yak from her mom from years ago, a bit of paper and a few weapons that she almost wants to leave out of spite. She scribbles a short, brief not to Hiccup, hands pausing over the pages as she tries to write.

I’m sorry, she settles on. If you ever find this, Hiccup, I know I’ve been an awful friend to you. She doesn’t know if she’ll ever make it back to Berk. All she’s done is hurt, anyway, and make everything worse. I’m sorry about the dragons, and I hope you can someday spread this peace everywhere. You’re probably better off without us. I wish I could’ve said goodbye.

She thinks about demanding Mildew let her stay, or asking Hiccup to come and find her, pick her up and take her out. She’d never have to worry about Mildew again, but she doesn’t even deserve that.

“What is taking you so long?” Mildew calls, irritated. “I need your help out here!”

Ugh. Must he be so unpleasant?

She sets it folded sticking out from beneath her ink jar – Hilda rarely uses ink, anyway. It’d probably break in transport.

She can wait to be trapped in a tiny boat with her grandfather… forever. Ugh.

Hopefully he doesn’t see that and try to murder her. Hilda grabs her few bundles of things and leaves, whispering a silent goodbye to her bedroom – the only place she’s had in this world for years – for the last time.

***

Mildew leads her with their cart of things down to the beach, a small, secluded area Hilda can’t remember ever seeing before, not that she ever explores Berk, anyway. She wishes she could, but Mildew has always demanded she stay alone, helping him on the farm. It was lonely.

“I bought a small boat,” Mildew tells her. “Get our things inside.”

Ughh. Always so unpleasant.

She tries.

Well, she does, though it hurts to set sail. It’s going to be a miserable ride. “Do you even know where we’re going?” Hilda demands finally.

“Well, naturally,” he sniffs, scowling, “I figured out a safe place a long time ago.”

“I wish you’d told me,” Hilda mutters.

“I couldn’t stand to celebrate Bork Week in a island that no longer kills dragons!” He huffs disgustedly. “Imagine! Stoick is a coward and an embarrassment!”

“He’s still the Chief,” Hilda reminds.

“Not for long! And not our chief. We’ve left Berk.” She is getting an increasingly bad feeling about this.

The breeze is strong, and the sail carries them fast, the oars helping push it along. Mildew is rushing almost, and… Hilda gnaws worriedly on her lip, carefully peering through an eyeglass. “There’s another ship over there,” she says warily, pointing. “Shouldn’t we be traveling another way?” Pirates are always a risk.

“I know there’s a ship out there!” he snaps irritably. “I told them to be there.”

“Told…” Hilda looks again, squinting, heart pounding. There’s a mark on the sail. It’s… actually very familiar. “That’s an Outcast boat,” she breathes, “Grampa, what are you doing?!” He can’t be serious… can he?

“At least Alvin has some sense,” Mildew scoffs.

“Alvin the Treacherous is a liar and a killer!” Hilda hisses. “How do we know he won’t kill us and take everything we have?”

Mildew scoffs. “Because I made a deal with him!” / He’s… insane. Her grandfather is completely insane.

“No, no, we have to go back to Berk.” She tries to scramble for the sail, and he actually smacks her. Hilda falls with a grunt, head spinning. Did she hit it? She thinks she did. Boat wall, maybe?

Hilda’s head hurts as she tries to pick herself up again. He’s completely insane. Alvin is here, and he’s going to capture her. She actually doesn’t care if he kills Mildew, but she doesn’t want to die here. Maybe it’s best if she does – all she does is get in everyone’s way.

“Ah, Mildew.” Alvin’s voice filters in. “Good to see you made it.”

“Our plan is in place,” Mildew replies gleefully. Plan? What plan?

“What did you do?” Hilda breathes, eyes wide as the Outcasts board their ship and lead them onto their own. Fungus, of course, comes right along. The stupid sheep.

“Have some of your men take our boat,” Mildew says. Hilda tries her best not to draw her knife. She’s surrounded by dozens of outcast soldiers, and…

No. Way. That’s… a trap. A Night Fury trap – the same thing Toothless was held in after the lightning fiasco. Specialized just for him. “I want to ride with you,” Mildew continues, “I want to see the look on the boy’s face when this runs to completion.”

“Be my guest,” Alvin answers dryly, gaze sweeping to Hilda.

The boy… Hiccup? They’re going to hurt Hiccup. And Mildew dragged her here to watch? She would say she can’t believe him, but actually… yeah. Yeah, she can, and here she is, being dragged along to hurt the only friend she has in this world. Completely helpless. And so, so stupid.

How did she really think not to warn anyone? And how does Mildew keep walking her right into these mind games? More importantly… what now?

***

She’d actually been looking forwards to Bork Wee. How couldn’t she? It was supposed to be the first where Vikings and dragons celebrate their peace deal, something… finally worth celebrating. And Mildew, of course, refusing to change, pulled them out… and amidst the chaos, if Hiccup is gone for a few days, who would notice?

By the time somebody figured out what happened, it’ll be too late to find him, fi they even know where to look.

She wishes she could do anything to warn them.

It’s too late.

They beat Hiccup to the island he was supposed to be going to, some sort of fake map is what Hilda gathered, and the men are all over him before either of them can move. They drag Hiccup aboard, chaining both of them, and his gaze swings to her.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, voice faint. It won’t help. Nothing can – Alvin is going to force whatever he wants from him by any means necessary.

“Mildew,” Alvin calls, “Is your girl going to be a problem?”

“Hard to say,” he scoffs. “But I couldn’t leave her behind.”  He looks at her with nothing short of disgust. “But I’m certain you can find use for her.”

“Hmm.” Alvin looks at her again. Hilda glares back. She might not be in chains, but she’s a prisoner here, too. “That I can,” he agrees, walking away. “Set sail for Outcast Island!”

Toothless blinks up at her, eyes wide as he struggles against the restraints, muzzled even if he tries to make a sound. It fades into a deep, gutted growl in the back of his throat. Hiccup is favoring his shoulder, face tensed with pain but dark with fury. He’s already hurt, and they’re just getting started.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers again.

There has to be something she can do. There’s got to be.

***

Outcast Island is… dark, dingy and almost entirely barren. It’s no wonder the people who live here are so nasty – Hilda would be, too, if she spent her life with no green. That’s a sort of nightmare she’d already rather not think about.

All she knows is that she hates this place already. And this is where she’s supposed to live now?  She can’t imagine that. She can’t do that.

And they’re going to hurt Hiccup. What are they going to do to him?  She can only imagine, and she can’t… She can’t just do nothing. She’s done that enough. She can’t just stand back and watch this happening anymore.

Yeah, she’s terrified. She knows she could end up dead and the mere thought of even trying anything is making her sick to her stomach but she can’t just not. When Hiccup took his Trial of Flame and said in front of the entire village the truth about dragons, she can’t imagine how terrified he must’ve been. The least she can do is this. Even if she’s not nearly that brave.

But this is for the only friend she’s ever had. The only real anyone she ever had, even if whatever they had is in the past and she has no idea what Hiccup thinks of her now, seeing her here. She’s still gotta do something.

Alright.

Just breathe.

Think. She needs a plan and fast. 

She has no idea if there’s guards watching her but she’s going to have to be fast. She looks around as discreetly as she can to make sure no one’s around watching – that she can see, at least – and then takes off across the island.

It’ll be a very long walk to get all the way to the dungeon. And she has to go through a wild dragon field. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe. A dragon would be really helpful right now. She really would’ve liked a bit of that training before coming out here.

She starts with creeping in between rocks and just hoping she’s not gonna be seen. She manages to make it past a couple Gronickles which don’t pay her much attention but then she hears a snarl and the sound of wings flapping and jumps, spinning around. A Nadder is landing behind her, growling a little.

Don’t panic.

The dragons want to fight way less than humans.

Honestly, facing Mildew’s scarier than this. It’s still a little hard not to frantically back away. But when she thinks about being stuck here with nothing but Mildew and all these other Outcasts forever, it’s easier to stand her ground.

Hilda holds up her hand slowly instead, jumping a little when the Nadder growls at her. “Uhh, hey,” she squeaks, “I’m a friend. I’m not here to hurt you. Not like all the other humans you’ve probably run into.”

It sniffs it at her a little, but doesn’t attack or back away. Hilda moves closer very slowly, reaching for its snout. The dragon twitches a little, but it lets her touch it. She rubs it’s snout a little, only half sure what she’s doing. She’s seen Astrid interact with Stormfly, but that seemed… easier than this? Like Stormfly was already very tamed. This one though, is completely wild.

The Nadder growls a little more softly this time, circling around and sniffing at her. But it seems a lot more friendly. She did it. She actually did it – connected with a dragon for the first time in her life. It’s not like just petting someone else’s. This – this one could be hers.

She can’t help a rush of excitement, mixed with the sheer terror she’s feeling over the situation. This is really happening. But it’s not going to matter unless she gets Hiccup and Toothless out of here.

“Hey, girl or err, boy,” Hilda says, “Girl, I think. Anyway, can I ride you?”

The Nadder just sniffs at her again.

Does she understand what Hilda is saying? She has no idea.

She pets it a couple more times before slowly circling around to it’s side. It doesn’t back away and she starts trying to climb on slowly. It doesn’t throw her off which is a start though the moment she’s on it’s back, it starts prancing around and shaking itself a little.

“Whoa,” Hilda squeaks, grabbing onto it’s horn to keep herself from falling, “Can you settle down? You don’t mind this, do you?”

If it did, it probably would’ve thrown her off already, though.

The dragon just makes a noise she can’t decipher. Riding Stormfly was a lot easier than this but that’s probably because she was already tame. And she had a saddle.

Well, hopefully she knows what she’s doing or this is going to be one very short rescue mission. Hilda nudges the Nadder a little, trying to make it go forwards. It spreads it’s wings and takes off. It’s amazing to be up here. A little terrifying when she’s the only one on the dragon, though. 

She tries directing it towards the dungeon. It… seems to be working, even if she nearly falls off once.

The Nadder lands outside. There’s one guard right outside and he starts forwards, saying something but her dragon sends him flying with her tail before he gets out more than that. It’s actually protecting her. And she’s only been on it for like three seconds.

And these are the creatures that her grandfather hates so much?

“Good job,” Hilda murmurs, lightly patting her.

But she needs to move. Someone could’ve seen that, for all she knows. She jumps off the Nadder, running into the building and the Nadder follows her, sniffing at her surroundings.

It’s so dark and damp down here. She’s barely even been down here and she can’t imagine just getting locked up here. 

The cells there are empty, up until she gets to the end of the hall and stops cold.

Hiccup is crouched on the dirt, his back facing one of them barred doors and her grandfather is in the cell opposite him.

What?

“Hilda?” he asks, a slight edge in his voice.

She looks between him and Hiccup frantically. She was wondering where he went. But what s he doing down here? This doesn’t even… make sense? And he sees her with a dragon. Maybe she should feel awful that that’s what scares her way more than unexpectedly seeing him locked up.

Hiccup spins around at the name. His expression twitches a little, something between surprise when he sees the dragon and… she can’t really tell. Maybe she’s too nervous too.

“Hiccup,” Hilda says instead and she really wishes her grandfather wasn’t right here watching this. It’s stupid how she’s ready to fight the Outcasts for Hiccup but half her bravery vanishes the moment she sees Mildew again. “I’m here to get you out.”

“They didn’t lock you up, too?” Hiccup asks, a little confused.

“After everything, Alvin turned on me,” Milde complains.

That doesn’t make sense. If that was true, why didn’t think take her? That’s… Something isn’t adding up. “Why wouldn’t the have taken me?” she asks. “If they really took you?”

“I couldn’t say,” Mildew says, “Be careful, Hilda. You don’t know what they’ll do if they find you here.”

Now, now he’s suddenly worried about her? That – that doesn’t make sense either. Something’s… is he faking this again? What would he have to gain from that?  It’s messing with her mind and she’s done with having him in her head.

“Well, that’s why I’m gonna be fast.” She scrambles for the keys, unlocking the door to Hiccup’s cell, He looks steps out, looking around. He looks exhausted but more unhurt than she was expecting. Right now.

“Let’s go,” Hiccup says and they both take off.

“Wait!” Mildew calls, waving a hand through the bars, “You’re just going to leave me here?”

Hiccup skids to a stop, looking back. “You're kidding me, right?”

“No! I know how to get around this island. I can help you, Hiccup. Please... let me make it up to you,” Mildew protests.

That’s –

He doesn’t talk like that. Ever.

She wishes she could believe he’d have a change of heart. She used to wish when she was much younger that it was actually possible for things between them to change. But it’s not. She saw that over and over.

There’s probably something very, very wrong with her for not wanting to let him out, despite – that. But it’s not just that. Something doesn’t make sense. And she’s almost positive this is a lie. It’s not a risk she’s going to take again. She’s through with his lies. “He’s lying, Hiccup,” Hilda says, grabbing his arm before he can entertain going to let him out. How Hiccup can be so sweet, enough to consider letting Mildew back out after he got him into captured in the first place and has done so much to him, Hilda has no idea. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this doesn’t make sense.”

Hiccup falters.

“Hilda!” Mildew yells, when they both turn away, “You’re just going to leave me here?”

She feels awful. Her hands are shaking and she doesn’t – doesn’t know what to do. But this has to be a lie. She’s not falling for it again. And in truth, she’d be too scared to anyway, after how he saw her on a dragon of her own this time.

“She’s got a point,” Hiccup says, eyes narrowing a little as he turns away. “How about this? After we find Toothless, we’ll come back to pick you up.”

Hilda climbs onto the back of the Nadder and Hiccup gets on behind her.

She hears Mildew yelling after them as the Nadder gallops away.

“Where’d you get this one from?” Hiccup asks, as the Nadder races out of the dungeon and takes off.

“Out in the wild,” Hilda answers breathlessly.

“You tamed it?” He sounds a little impressed.

“I watched you a lot.” She swallows hard. She’s got so much to say to him. Apologies to give. If that’s even enough. Now really isn’t the time.

“Where’s Toothless?” Hiccup asks.

“I don’t know,” Hilda admits, “I came for you first. But they keep the dragons over there.” 

Hiccup nods, and she tries to direct the Nadder for the dragon prison.

They get there quickly enough, swooping inside and knocking down another guard nearby. This really feels too easy. Someone’s got to have seen them by now. But they’ve gotten this far, so maybe –

“Toothless was down that way,” Hiccup says, pointing. His eyes look haunted and angry at once. Hilda’s not sure she wants to know. They run to the end of the hall, to see that the cage is open and there’s two unconscious guard son the floor. And the restraints suspended on the wall are broken.

Wait, on the wall?

They had Toothless hanging from the wall? Or… something? She feels sick.

“Looks like he got out already,” Hilda observes.

“Or Alvin moved him,” Hiccup points out and they run back for the Nadder. Except, they barely reach her in time to hear the sound of metal screeching and then a cage door swings open opposite them. A fiercely snarling red dragon is coming down the hall right towards them.

“What –” Hilda asks, a little panicked.

“Changewing,” Hiccup responds, breathless, taking a step backwards slowly.

“Let's see what you can do with some real wild dragons, Hiccup,” Alvin’s voice calls from above. Hilda looks up sharply, heart hammering, to see him and a few other Outcasts standing on a level above, watching. Well, they definitely know she’s not on their side now.

Another cage door swings open next to them and a Whispering Death comes out. And then some other green colored thing that she doesn’t recognize. Uhh, three feral dragons on all sides?

Okay, this is gonna be hard. What do they even do?

“Hilda,” Hiccup says, “Whatever happens in the next minute, do exactly what I tell you.”

“Yeah, no problem.” All she can do now is try not to panic.

The changewing spits at them and she drops the same moment as Hiccup, as green acid splatters the wall right where they were standing.

Hiccup motions to the Nadder and she runs for it, both of them swinging onto its back.

The green dragon spits water at them. It’s boiling and – oh, a Scouldron? Yay.

The Whispering Death flies at them, snarling.

And the Nadder dives out of the way. Hiccup’s on it in front this time and she can’t quite tell what he’s directing it to do, just that they avoid the next couple dragon attacks, the Whispering Death dives back underground and the Changewing smacks into the Scouldron in an effort to get to them. Hiccup directs the Nadder away and they fly out of the building and up into the air again, leaving the place far behind.

They’re flying away when Hilda spots another dragon flying towards them.

Is that Thornado? And the Chief?

She’s never been quite so relieved before. The Outcasts are still after them, she can guarantee, even if she doesn’t see any right now. Hiccup brings the Nadder down on a ridge, and Thornado lands near him. Down below, Hilda sees the rest of the riders are there too, just without their dragons for some reason.

“Hiccup! Oh, thank Thor you're all right,” Stoick exclaims with audible relief.

“I am, but Toothless is in trouble,” Hiccup replies.

“And disappeared Hilda is on the back of a dragon,” Tuffnut interjects with a pointed look.

She winces. Yeah, it’s gonna be a lot of very awkward explaining to do. Actually, she has no idea what’s about to happen now.  She technically walked out on Berk too and came to the Outcasts, even if Mildew forced her to. It’s…

“I know,” Hiccup agrees.

“Weird,” Tuffnut deadpans.

Gobber swigs off Thornado, coming over to her. He doesn’t look happy. “Where’s Mildew?” he demands.

“Alvin’s… got him locked up?” It’s stupid that she just feels like she’s frantically fumbling for words when she knows exactly what to say. It’s not like she has something to hide, just – she feels so pathetic. For doing nothing all this time. Until breaking out Hiccup.

“Hilda thought he was lying about Alvin betraying him. So… we left him,” Hiccup says, “But she helped me escape. But right now, we need to find Toothless.”

“Or bring him to you,” Astrid suggests.

Before Hilda can ask what that even means, Hiccup holds his hands up to his mouth and does some kind of call that… actually sounds jarringly realistic.

She hears a distant cry sound back. Toothless. He got away. Moments later, he comes bounding over a nearby rocky ledge and runs to Hiccup, knocking him on his back as she slobbers him.  It’s – nice to see. They’re both okay and back together now and hopefully they can just get out of here.

Toothless snarls suddenly, head lifting.

“Whoa. What's the matter, bud?” Hiccup asks, looking up.

Hilda follows where Toothless is looking, to where Alvin is standing on top of a rock ledge. Of course he wasn’t going to let them go that easily. She’s been worrying about this being a possible trap for a while. “Hey there! Boy! You weren't gonna leave before we finished our business, were you?” Alvin calls.

Hiccup’s expression darkens. She’s never seen him looking so feral before, actually. The look is so wrong on him.

“He swings onto Toothless back, and they take off, flying straight for Alvin.

“Hiccup!” Stoick yells after him, but he doesn’t stop.

She watches, frozen, as Toothless swoops for Alvin – and then a net fires and hits him, knocking him to the ground and successfully tying Hiccup down to his back.

“Dragons, everybody!” Astrid yells.

Everyone looks around.

No dragons. Except Hilda’s. She nudges hers and it takes off, flying towards Toothless and Hiccup. Alvin’s men are running towards him, though, and they’re gonna get there first.

She hears a dragon call from above and then she sees the riders’ other dragons swooping in. They breathe fire in a circle around Toothless to keep Alvin’s men back and Hilda nudges her dragon to join in. Hookfang and Stormfly pull the net off, and lifting Hiccup and Toothless, setting them down a distance safely away from Alvin and the fire.

“What happened?” Hiccup asks, looking around.

“The dragons saved you on their own,” Fishlegs replies, awed.

Hilda feels that, too. The dragons came for them, even when they weren’t being ridden. They’re not just mindless beasts that do what they’re told. They follow these people because it’s what they want. They want to be here with their riders, because… to them, this is their family.

“Looks like they took their training to a whole new level,” Astrid says.

“We can catch up later. Right now, we need to get out of here,” Stoick reminds.

Hilda doesn’t think she’s ever been happier to live anywhere.  “You’re just going to leave your old grandfather?” Alvin calls, as they take off.

Hilda looks back.

She really is leaving Mildew. And honestly? “I’ve been waiting to that my whole life,” Hilda yells over her shoulder as they fly up and away into the sky.

Chapter Text

Hilda explains to Stoick a little of what happened to Mildew with Mildew. It goes over a little better than she thought, and she finally gets a moment alone with Hiccup.

“Are you… alright?” Hilda asks, a little awkwardly. He’s over at his house, practically drowning himself in glasses of water which is – unusual. Did they even give him anything to eat or drink the whole time? She may have broken him out quickly once he was in the dungeon but they were sailing for a long time.

Considering that Toothless has already managed to eat a hundred fish or something – okay, that may be a slight exaggeration – she’s thinking not.

“I’m fine,” Hiccup replies, though she’s not very convinced. Espeically considering the way he keeps rubbing one of his shoulders a little. “But what happened? How did you and Mildew end up with the Outcasts?”

“He told me we were leaving Berk because it wasn’t fit for humans anymore with too many dragons.” Hilda makes a face, sighing, “I didn’t know where we were going when we left. He never gave me the chance to say goodbye.” She’s still shaken over how close it came to never getting to come back here. She could’ve been stuck on Outcast Island, for… Well, probably forever. “By the time I saw that we were sailing towards an Outcast boat, it was too late.”

Hiccup winces. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“No.” Not yet, at least. But then they got Hiccup, and… it feels like there’s so much she ought to say, she doesn’t know where to start. “I’m sorry,” she offers finally, “For – well, I guess I’ve ended up helping Mildew a lot in his plans against you and the dragons.”

“You didn’t know what he was getting you into,” he points out.

He doesn’t seem upset and she’s glad for that. Even if it really feels like he ought to be.  But this is Hiccup, he’s… too nice for his own good.  “I know,” Hilda admits, “But it feels like I should’ve by the end.”

“You came to break me out,” Hiccup points out, “Thanks, by the way.”

She smiles a little, feeling that sudden ridiculous awkwardness again. Ugh. She knows what it is, what it means and it’s – weird. Sort of. “Did you ever get my letter?” she blurts.

“Letter?” Hiccup repeats, a little confused.

Riiight. He was probably already gone. “Uhh,” she mumbles, “I just… didn’t want to leave without saying anything. I left a letter in my room. I didn’t know if anyone would ever find it.”

“You left a letter for me?” he asks, a little… surprised, maybe.

“Yeah,” she replies, fidgeting awkwardly, “You’re the only friend I’ve ever really had here. I know we haven’t really talked much in years but I… miss when we did.” It feels weird to say it out loud. She doesn’t know why – it’s not like she doesn’t know him. But they’re very different people than they were years ago, when they actually got to spend time with each other.

He smiles slightly too, a little wistfully. “Well, I – uhh, missed that too. I just didn’t really know how to pursue it if you were too… busy?”

Yeah, she knows he never had a single other friend either. “It wasn’t that,” she admits, sighing, “mildew didn’t want me around you. Even before the dragons. I guess he thought it somehow disgraced our family or something.” She makes a face.

Actually, she thinks it was more his concerns about what their relationship could go than the childish friendship, but well – Yeah, she can actually see why he was worried about that. Maybe it’s a little bit of why she got so fixated on it anyway, just to annoy him.

“Well,” Hiccup says, “You won’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“It feels awful of me,” Hilda blurts out, “To stay I’m glad he’s gone. But I – I guess I am. Mostly.” She doesn’t need to worry about him yelling at her or keeping her away from dragons or any of that anymore. Yeah, all she can feel is sheer relief.

So she doesn’t know why it also feels so much more complicated than that. She’s also just… scared. She doesn’t even know how to do this. What would it even mean to not have someone bossing her around non-stop? To be able to have some choice in what she gets to do and only have the chance to do things she actually cares about in brief fleeing moments that are gone so fast they almost might not have been there at all.

“Are you alright with that?” Hiccup asks, “I know he’s… Mildew, but he was your grandfather.”

“I’m glad I won’t have to worry about how he was about dragons or about you anymore. I just don’t know what I’m going to do now. I couldn’t really take care of the farm by myself.” She doesn’t think she’d want to go back there to live anyway. There’s too many memories, mostly of things she just wants to forget.

“I don’t think you should be that far out of town by yourself anyway,” Hiccup points out.

“I don’t really think I need to have a whole new house built just for me either,” Hilda says. She’s still only fifteen. The thought of living literally all alone is, well… that’s also a little terrifying. And lonely. But she wouldn’t have to just be stuck in her house anymore either.

“You could stay at my house for a few nights,” Hiccup suggests and it leaves her mind whirling that he’d actually offer that. But it probably shouldn’t. She’s … really, really missed him. They haven’t had a conversation this long in years. “But you’re right. You do need something more permanent…” He looks thoughtful. “What about some part of the arena? Or right nearby. Maybe we could repurpose something.”

Hilda perks up. It’s not really a normal living arrangement but how could she even complain about that offer? “Really?”

“Hey, you get to join the Academy now if you want. And you already have your own dragon.”

This is really happening. It still almost feels like a dream, even as the giddy excitement floods her full force. She wishes the lingering weight of the entire mess with her grandfather and the impending war that’s likely coming – with Mildew seriously helping with it, she can’t believe him – wasn’t still weighting on her so much.  “I’d love that,” Hilda replies sincerely, “Both offers, actually.”

“Then I’m sure we can work something out quickly.”

“One problem,” Hilda says dryly, “Who’s going to grow more cabbage than the entire village could need anymore?”

Hiccup laughs. “Probably whoever was hungry for so much in the first place.”

She laughs too. “Yeah.” Okay, there’s really nothing wrong with cabbage and nor is that the only thing they grew but she really feels like Mildew went overboard with how much of that one specific thing he always grew.

“We’re going to be having a dragon parade for Bork Week,” Hiccup comments, “You can probably join if you want but I think that’s something we’ll have to work out with Astrid. She was going to be leading a group of Nadders.”

Oooh. That actually sounds fun. “I can talk to her,” Hilda agrees, “I don’t really want to mess up whatever she’s got planned but…”

“Hey,” he says, patting her arm, “if you’re going to be one of us now, you deserve to get to fly in the parade too.”

She laughs lightly. Frankly, she just feels a bit overwhelmed right now. “Everybody on Berk looks up to you guys now,” she comments, “Well, you know, not everyone but – It must be a lot. I can’t imagine that ever being true about me.”

“I would have said that a few months ago, too,” Hiccup replies.

Yeah, that’s true. He gets the whole not even being noticed thing as well as she does herself, maybe even more so. 

Hilda reaches for his hand slowly, a little awkwardly and Hiccup takes it. She’s hardly even sure what she’s doing, just… She’s missed him.

Then another thought occurs to her. “If everyone else is getting to lead flying formations of all the dragons of their kind, then what about you?”

Hiccup’s face shadows. “That’s why all of this happened,” he replies, “Because I thought there was an actual map to where the Night Furies were from.”

…Oh.

She’d heard Mildew gloating about something related to that, to Hiccup, but she hadn’t even understood what he was talking about.

“Oh,” Hilda murmurs quietly.

“Maybe he’s happy here, but he still doesn’t have a family,” Hiccup says.

Toothless almost seems to sense the mood, because he comes over, nuzzling agonist Hiccup’s side and he pets the dragon with his free hand.

“That would be hard,” Hilda agrees, biting her lip, “But at least he has you, and umm… hey, I guess I’m going to be an oddball in this parade too.” That probably didn’t help anything to point out but she doesn’t know that there’s much she can say at this point. Toothless’ family is gone. All he has is Hiccup but she has to say, she doesn’t think he minds.

He nods a little, even if something in his eyes still looks heavy.

She looks down at where their hands are still clasped.  Her heart does that sort of fluttery thing again and she –

Well, she knows what she wants.  She doesn’t know if Hiccup does but she can’t say he acts like he doesn’t either.  She’s fine if he doesn’t because what she really just wants is for them to get to be friends and around each other again, even if it always stays that way, but….

She leans a little closer slowly, before she can rethink herself.

Hiccup doesn’t pull away.

She kisses him and he does it back, even if it only lasts for a moment before they pull apart.

That was…

Nice.

Even if in a weird way. Maybe they can just not talk about it again for… a while.  Even if it’s what she wants. She’s not quite ready to think about everything else that comes with that yet.

Toothless’ head appears on Hiccup’s other side. She could swear he’s laughing or at least – something.  Why did she never consider that a dragon watching them might actually understand what’s happening?

“What?” Hiccup asks, half defensively.

Toothless really looks like he’s laughing now.

“Next time, let’s um – ” Maybe not have an audience? Yikes, how do people talk about these things? Hilda’s never had a relationship in her life, or even feelings, and she doesn’t remember how her parents were with each other. Even if Mildew had a wife still, well, that would be the do-not-do basis. Eew.

“We should get ready for the parade,” Hiccup says, jumping up.

“Yeah,” Hilda agrees, a little relieved to the swift topic change, “We probably should.”

She still trades a final smile with Hiccup and briefly pats Toothless before she goes.

***

This is the first time Hilda’s ever been In the arena, with all the other riders. And definitely the first time she’s been here with her dragon. “I think I’m going to name her Flystorm,” Hilda comments, gently patting her Nadder’s nose.

“Are you copying Stormfly?” Astrid demands.

“Uhh… maybe a little?” she says, a little sheepishly, “But I think it fits her.”

“Sounds like a nice name to me,” Hiccup offers.

“Thanks,” she says, petting Flystorm again, before the dragon turns away a little to sniff at some of the other dragons. They seem pretty friendly already. It’s…. nice.  She thought fitting in here would be a lot harder. She still feels a bit out of place, considering that none of the others here are really her friends at all, but… it’ll take getting used to. It’s more than she’s had all her life.

“Can I fly with your Nadders?” Hilda asks, “Or is that going to make things… complicated?”

“Well, we can try it out,” Astrid muses.

“If she doesn’t want it, you can always fly with me,” Snotlout offers brightly.

“Uhh… thanks,” she squeaks.  Even if she doesn’t actually plan on doing that. She finds how Snotlout’s acting a whole lot weirder after – well, earlier with Hiccup. At least he’s not ignoring her existence, though.

“Kind of strange to have you here,” Astrid remarks.

Hilda shrugs a bit bashfully. “It’s weird to be here,” she admits. “But it’s where I always wanted to be.”

“All that time, you really just did nothing about Mildew?”

The guilt will never go away. She nearly got them all killed. “I… I didn’t know what to do. I know. I’m an idiot and a really bad friend.”

“Well, I guess it’s kinda nice to have another Nadder rider in the group. We all have our own dragon types, except Ruff and Tuff. And they pretty much might as well.” Astrid watches, brows raised, as the twins hit each other and their dragons viciously dodge biting each other’s heads.

Uhh.

Hilda lets out a breathless, confused laugh. “I’m glad I’m not that dragon, and that I don’t have a Zippleback.”

“You should be,” Astrid grumbles. “Or I’d kick you out of the academy. We don’t need another Zippleback.”

Seriously. Yeah. Astrid’s kind of… overwhelming. Hilda doesn’t really know what to think about the girl, but her fire is… scary. Just enough she’ll try to dodge a little while – she never knows when Astrid is going to lash out or blow up. Kind of like Mildew, only Astrid isn’t nasty like that. But years of well-ingrained jitteriness is something still hard to shake.

“We’re glad to have you,” Fishlegs offers with a bright smile, approaching her. “I can teach you everything about dragons you ever wanted to know. You want to check out the book with me?”

Her heart flutters in excitement. “Can I?” She’s never seen that thing in her life. Mildew claimed he knew better than it, and that was even before Red Death. Now, obviously, Hilda feels so small in a world of unknowns. They all have so much to learn about dragons.

“Of course!” Fishlegs gushes. “The Book of Dragons is open to everyone. Come in, let me show you.”

The Book of Dragons, for its part, is massive, pages weathered from repeated use, but with so many new additions. Hilda is proud to say she actually recognizes Hiccup’s handwriting and drawing on quite a few of the pages Fishlegs flips them through.

The Changewings. “That’s Hiccup’s drawing,” she guesses with a small smile despite the creature’s ferocity. Their island nearly got overrun by a group of angry Changewings a few weeks ago. Those things were terrifying, even if Hilda never saw them herself. Stones of Hood Fortune were something she would’ve killed to get back then. Good thing Mildew didn’t let her.

“Yes, it was,” Fishlegs agrees. “He drew it the day after the Changewing attack. I told him what to draw.”

“It’s very detailed.” They don’t know much about these things, or about many of them, but it’s so… nice. “What do we have about Toothless and Night Furies?”

“We know very little about Night Furies,” Fishlegs replies, flipping the book open to the very last filled page. Night Fury is scrawled at the top. “All of Bork’s notes about it were fake.”

Hilda winces instinctively, though the boy sounds disappointed instead of angry. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Toothless came from somewhere,” Fishlegs assures, “We’ll find his home someday.”

“Speed and size still unknown?” Hilda asks with a soft chuckle at the scribbles on the bottom of the page.

“Hiccup only started to fix this page,” Fishlegs replies. “Toothless is the only known of his kind. Everything about him is kind of up in the air right now. There are so many unknowns. Like is Toothless an adult or a hatchling still? Or is he really at his fastest? We’ll never know unless we find more.”

Huh. “I always thought they were the same age.” Though Hilda actually has no idea why she thought that. It’s silly – what does she know about dragons? Any dragons? Even the Nadder she picked up and was finally able to bond with?

“Maybe,” Fishlegs replies. “We don’t know.”

“And his tail… I guess we might never know how fast he can go.” He has a prosthetic, but that’s never going to be the same, just like everyone who loses a limb can never be the same. Hiccup lost his foot. Hilda’s seen how bad he limps sometimes. He walks with a perpetual limp now, just as everyone who’s lost a leg does. And hands are even worse – a hook or hammer or axe or whatever other options Gobber has found are never the same.

Dragon tails split the wind to let them fly. Not even something Hiccup could make would be flat enough, fast enough, light enough, or dragon-y enough for Toothless to ever be the same. For all it hurts, it’s also really… just the truth. Nothing attached to his side or tail would be able to split airflow for him properly.

So, yeah, Fishlegs is right. Toothless is never going to be as fast as he could’ve been, and that’s a heavy thought. He doesn’t deserve that. 

Nobody does. But what’s done can’t be undone – something Hilda herself is realizing painfully slow. It stares her in the face every single time she thinks about, well… anything. Honestly, it’s anything, because her trial of regrets is too long to forget. At least she didn’t hurt Flystorm. That’s the only consolation.

“How do you know all of Hiccup’s drawings?” Fishlegs asks curiously.

Hilda feels herself blushing instinctively. “I spent a lot of time watching him – I mean, his – uh –”

Fishlegs laughs. “Oh,” he asks, “You… like him?”

Hilda buries her face in her hands with an agonized moan. “Is it that obvious?”

Fishlegs giggles. “It’s okay! Hiccup’s really amazing. I don’t blame you.”

“Still. I’m not ready to talk about this yet,” Hilda mutters, flushing furiously. “But he’s – he’s so nice. I’ve never really had any friends before until joining you guys. It’s a strange feeling.”

“As long as you’re here, we’ll have your back,” Fishlegs vows, and Hilda knows he means it. It’s a nice feeling.

***

They don’t have long before the parade but Hilda still has a little bit of time to look around what’s going to be converted to her new home.

“It’s going to be strange to have a home all to myself,” Hilda comments, looking around. Even her bedroom at Mildew’s house was hardly her space.

“We have a home to ourselves,” Ruffnut interjects.

“Yeah and it’s awesome,” Tuffnut agrees.

“How did you get a home like that all to yourselves?” Hilda wonders. It’s certainly far from normal – for the most part, all siblings in the same family sleep in the same room, unless there’s way too many to fit. She wishes she had a sibling to share a bedroom with. That would be… nice. Certainly far less lonely.

“Our mom just told us one day that we were gonna get a house all to ourselves,” Ruffnut says.

“Yeah,” Tuffnut adds, “I think we were just too good at making our stepdad really, really angry and he finally wanted us to move out.”

“They just kicked you out?” Hilda asks, feeling a tiny flare of horror. She just… didn’t know that, okay? Not even Mildew threw her out of the house for all that he may have occasionally threatened.

“It was awesome,” Tuffnut argues.

“Best day ever,” Ruffnut agrees with a happy smirk.

Well, as long as they’re happy about it. Then again, if she had someone else to share something with, she probably would’ve been elated to have been given a house all alone. She certainly doesn’t mind now either; it’s just going to be different.

“Well, I guess it is pretty nice,” she has to admit.

“Yeah, no more bossy Mildew. He was bossy, right?” Tuffnut asks.

“Oh, very,” Hilda agrees, “But working on the farm with him was like the only thing I knew how to do.”

“No wonder he was so Mildew,” Ruffnut says, “Wouldn’t have been any awesome explosions out there so far from town.”

“There was after you brought that Thor statue to our front yard,” Hilda replies with a laugh, “I’ve actually been waiting to thank whoever did that.”

“My idea,” Snotlout announces proudly, pointing to himself. “Did Mildew get hit?”

“Oh, once or twice,” she replies.

“Awesome,” Tuffnut says, a bit gleefully.

“I mean, he wasn’t actually hit with lightning, it was more… minor sparks and stuff,” she amends. And she had to be careful about dodging it too, but honestly, it was worth it. The only part that wasn’t worth it was Mildew’s mood.

“Not too awesome,” Tuffnut deflates.

Hilda wants to laugh and there’s a part of her that can’t help feeling a little horrible for that. He was still her family, and…

Ugh. Mostly, she’s just glad right now that she doesn’t have to worry facing him again. That… she just gets to start over as much as is really possible.

“Hey, Hilda,” Snotlout says cheerfully, “If you get lonely in your house by yourself, you can always drop by at mine.”

Uhh is he trying to imply something? She has no idea but it’s freaking her out. “Um, thank?” she offers uncertainly.

The sound of wings flapping draws everyone’s gazes skyward and Toothless flies down. “Come on guys,” Hiccup calls, “It’s almost time for the parade.”

***

Hilda thinks this is the most amazing Bork Week celebration she’s ever had. Maybe it’s just that she’s finally getting to do what she’s wanted for so long. To get to be a dragon rider. To actually have… something.

She does fly in the parade behind Astrid, and it makes the Nadder’s formation look a little different but that’s not really a bad thing, is it? Toothless is at the front. It must be lonely to be the only Night Fury here. Though, she can’t help thinking that it also makes him stick out as being the most special dragon out there even more.

Either way, being here is amazing. She’s never had friends before, but now she has Flystorm and Hiccup and… all the rest, even if she’s still getting to know all of them. And there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.