For Milady

EIGHT: The Invisible Rival

"And I heard there was an enormous dragon that Hiccup slew and controlled all the dragons-surely that was more powerful than a Monstrous Nightmare..."

"Dead as a rock, babe," he corrected her smugly.

"Well, Hookfang was captured by the female Deathsong," a new voice pointed out as the twins walked up. The female twin, her hair in three fat braids and wearing an identical helmet and clothes to her brother, was grinning mischievously, her grey eyes filled with amusement. Her brother, his brown eyes twinkling, swiftly picked up his cue.

"Yeah-I bet Garff could easily overpower Hookie even now!" he teased. Snotlout scowled at them.

"No he couldn't," he snapped. "Hookfang is ready for him now..."

"Then why is he snoring?" Ruff asked him, gesturing at the sleeping Nightmare.

"C'mon, Fangster-show these muttonheads how awesome you are!" Snotlout yelled. The dragon cracked an eye open, flicked his tail and sent Snotlout bouncing across the Plaza. "HOOKFANG!"

"He isn't that bad but his dragon loves to prank him," Ruff told the Bog Burglar conspiratorially. "And of course, we love to help..."

"My dear sister-we are the servants of Loki! Of course we help!" Tuff reminded her with a serious expression. Snotlout came stamping towards them.

"Stop encouraging him!" he growled as the twins feigned hurt expressions.

"Us? Dear sister, his unfounded defamation wounds me!" Tuff sighed dramatically.

"You mean you are very much hurt," Ruff translated with a huge grin. Gritting his teeth, Snotlout attempted to resurrect his smooth facade for the visitor.

"Look-I'm the original dragon rider," he said.

"Apart from Hiccup," Ruff corrected him and Cami got the impression the twins were really enjoying baiting the stocky Viking.

"Obviously apart from Hiccup!" Snotlout ground out through his teeth. "I was paired with Hookfang even before Astrid bonded with Stormfly..."

"Though she did ride on Toothless with Hiccup long before we got our dragons and, of course, that was the last time you were ahead of Astrid in anything!" Ruff put in, stirring the pot carefully.

"I am a much better rider than she is!" Snotlout snapped.

"Oh, I very much doubt that," Tuff pointed out. "Remember Thawfest after we got our dragons? You lost every single event-and Astrid was second the Hiccup in every one! And she's got much better since."

"Face it-she's a hundred times the dragon rider that you are!" Ruff added.

"And where is she now?" Snotlout retorted, his face scarlet with anger.

There was a stunned silence and the mood cooled instantly.

"Oh, you did not say that!" Ruff said to him icily.

"It's a perfectly valid..." he began.

"Astrid is our second-in-command and Hiccup's right hand woman," Tuff told him. "She runs the Edge and keeps us all in order. And though she is sometimes a bit mean and has a very short temper, she is brave and willing to admit when she's wrong and will do everything to protect us!"

"And though you hit on her forever she never killed you," Ruff added. "Even though she only ever had eyes for Hiccup. I mean, she kissed him as soon as he was up after that coma once he had killed the Red Death and lost his leg."

"She was the person who went into the Arena when his Final Exam went wrong and risked her life to save him," Tuff added. "She held him back from being hurt when Toothless was captured. And she was the only person to stand by him when he was disowned and shamed after Toothless was uncovered. I know he doesn't like to talk about it..."