Will it be forever?

Chapter 19: The Execution

And that was how I, Astrid Hofferson, was going out, like the stubborn knucklehead that I was.

Hiccup's POV

The gang and I were all gathering around the raging hearth in the middle of the Meade Hall, I watched the flames intently as I awaited the reports from my fellow dragon riders.

"So?" I asked them, my tone so cold I could barely recognize it myself. "Did you find anything?"

"Well ..." Fishlegs began, stretching out his words only to be interrupted by Snotlout.

"We haven't found yak-dung." Snotlout finished as he leaned back in his seat.

I could feel the rage begin to boil inside of me. "I asked you to do ONE THING—"

"SKREE!" Stormfly called out as she and Toothless burst through the doors of the Meade Hall, Toothless looking delighted to be reunited with his friend, who had been missing for the past year, just like her rider.

"Stormfly?" The group and I all said in unison as she let out an impatient and rushed 'squawk!' as if she was in a hurry. Toothless exchanged looks between me and Stormfly before the delight in his face melted away was replaced with what seemed to be fear.

Toothless immediately jumped over to me, grabbed me by the tunic and swung me over his shoulder and onto his back before he took off running after Stormfly, who was already out the door.

"Uh ... I think you guys have to go get your dragons!" I told my friends right before we burst out of the Meade Hall and Toothless desperately tried to force my prosthetic into the pedal that activated his tail.

"Calm down, bud, we've got to wait for the others!" I told the dragon as I patted him on the side of his neck, leaning forward and accidentally putting weight on the pedal that activated his tail fin, something of which Toothless took full advantage of. "OR NOT!"

After a while of some turbulent and rushed flying, the remaining members of the gang eventually managed to catch up with us, their dragons looking out of breath as they lazily flew up on our sides.

"What was THAT all about?" Ruffnut growled as she gestured towards Toothless and Stormfly.

"I have no clue ... maybe Stormfly is trying to tell us something?" I suggested, just as confused to what was happening as they were.

"That Astrid is on Berserker island?" Tuffnut asked, making us all turn back towards him with raised brows.

Snotlout pinched the bridge of his nose. "And where did that genius idea come from, Tuff?"

"It came from Stormfly, flying straight towards Berserker Island with zero regard for any of us." Tuffnut informed us as he pointed forwards, and sure enough, there was Berserker Island with Stormfly flying at breakneck speed towards it.

Seeing as we had little time to question Astrid's dear dragon, we just followed her as she flew over Berserker Island, passing the forests and the village before reaching the massive Berserker fortress that towered over the island and all its inhabitants.

It was just as she reached the mighty walls of the fortress that we finally managed to caught up with her, and get to see why she was so anxious to get to the dreadful island.

Right below us was a large courtyard, in which a few people had gathered upon a wooden platform to watch what we assumed to be an execution, judging by the man clad in dark that was raising a large axe above his head as a smaller figure sat on their knees with their neck resting on an executioner's block, probably in the middle of mumbling their last prayers.

My eyes widened as I realized what was about to happen, but before I even had the chance to react, Stormfly swooped down into the courtyard in one swift motion as she blasted the axe right out of the executioner's hands, celebrating her small victory with a mighty roar.

"Astrid!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, in the hopes that she would be able to hear me, but she just remained still on the executioner's block.

We eventually followed Stormfly's lead and swooped down into the courtyard, blasting at Dagur and his men to secure ourselves a smooth escape later. Toothless and I eventually touched down, and as I jumped off my dragon, I found my self face-to-face with Dagur, whose face had turned the same color as his hair.

"What are you waiting for, you dimwits? Kill the girl!" Dagur sneered at two of his men, who seemed to have been able to dodge our attacks, seeing as they weren't knocked out cold. The men quickly complied and grabbed hold of Astrid, who seemed to have just woken from her daze as they forced her back down on the block.

"No! Get your filthy hands off my wife!" I roared as I dodged Dagur, leaving Toothless to handle the Berserker Chief as I went to rescue Astrid.

I lit Inferno as I ran up to the platform, where the guards had taken up the job as executioner and were about to behead Astrid. In a glimpse of murderous rage, I threw Inferno at the nearest guard, who stumbled away screaming with a flaming sword piercing his chest as the remaining guard struggled to keep Astrid at bay.

Astrid —who seemed to be right back to normal— elegantly slipped out of the guard's grasp before delivering a blow right to his stomach, knocking the air out of him before she snatched his sword and drove it through his chest in one swift motion, without as much as batting an eye.

I was about to run over, reunite with her and invite her to fly home with me on Toothless, but before I even had the chance to process what she had done to the guard, Stormfly had already picked her up and the duo had flown away together, without as much as a 'Thanks for helping me avoid death by beheading, you guys.'

I shook my head as I remembered that she had been held captive on Berserker Island for Thor knows how long, and it was clear that she didn't want to spend another second there. Yeah, that was reasonable. I quickly retrieved Inferno before I jumped back on top Toothless, ready to leave.

"Astrid's out, time to go, gang!" I announced to the others, who seemed more than happy to leave as they took off right away, not even bothering to wait for me and Toothless as they were set on going back home. I rolled my eyes as I followed after them.

"One day I'll get my revenge, brother!" Dagur's maniacal laughter rang all the way throughout the courtyard and up to where Toothless and I hovered. "One day I'll take away every single thing you love while you are forced to watch!"

I furrowed my brows. Though I knew Dagur would never get a chance like the one he had again, I couldn't help but feel a pinch of worry at his words. I quickly shook off all the negative thoughts as Toothless and I finally decided to go catch up with our friends, leaving Berserker Island in our dust.