For Milady

TEN: Changing of the Guard

"Well, sport-you should find me a dragon and I can come with," she told him lazily and then she produced a scroll. "This arrived by one of those little dragons-Fishlegs wanted to bring it but I said I'd give it to you."

"Then hand it over, please," he forced himself to say and she tossed it to him. Ignoring her, he unrolled the paper and peered at the runes..and then his eyes widened with surprise. He rose. "I need to see my Dad," he said and pushed past her and headed up the Plaza. Cami swept her keen gaze over the room.

"What are you doing in here?" she murmured and peered at the diagram...but it meant nothing to her. Exasperated, she ran off up after the one-legged Viking and caught up with him as he met his father. Hiccup showed the letter to his father.

"I have to go," he said firmly.

"Impossible," Stoick told him gruffly. "The Betrothal Ceremony is tomorrow..." Shaking his head, Hiccup faced his father determinedly.

"The Defenders of the Wing are my allies," he said firmly. "They fought with us against Viggo and Ryker and we saved their island. The Great Protector, a dragon called an Eruptodon, protects their village from the volcano by eating the lava. Viggo captured her and we helped rescue her, helped get her egg to where it needed to be to hatch and protected the hatchling. We have to go-this is sacred to them and to not go would be the gravest dishonour." He glared into his father's face. "You've destroyed my life, ruined my relationship with Astrid-I am not allowing you to wreck my alliance with the Defenders as well!" Stoick met his determined glare and saw that his son wasn't going to be deterred.

"You have two days to get there and back, Hiccup," he said grimly. "And you will take Camicazi with you." His head snapped up and he scowled.

"Dad-she can't fly and it's going to be a long and hard flight if we have to do it in two days," he argued.

"She's going-so you don't sneak off in search of Astrid," the Chief said. "She goes or no one does." Hiccup stared at his father, his emerald eyes blazing with anger and betrayal before he swung his glare to the blonde shape who had watched the confrontation.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said with a grim smile. "Find some padding for your seat because you're gonna be sore before the day is out. We're flying fast and straight. Riders-we leave in ten. The Great Protector is leaving and we will honour his passing."

And then he turned away and marched up to his home without sparing a glance for the Chief, Camicazi or Bertha. Toothless walked after him, growling in his throat as the Chief cleared his throat.

"I'd do as he says," he advised her. "Because he will leave without you, no matter what I say."

oOo

Camicazi thought she was fit, tough and capable of coping with everything but they were nowhere near the island when she realised she had no idea how she would make it to the end of the journey. She was sitting behind Hiccup on his Night Fury-Toothless, must remember that-as they sped through the air. Firstly it was cold, the wind blowing in her face and chilling her: secondly, the flight was making her queasy and thirdly...gods, Hiccup had been right. Her legs and ass and arms were all aching so fiercely they were about to drop off. But the Riders themselves were untiring: sure, they grumbled and moaned and chatted and joked but they got on with it.

Because they had been riding their dragons for five years and had built up stamina.

Each had his or her place, pieces in an efficient machine and they bounced off one another and distracted from the boredom and discomfort of the long flight. Snotlout was even dozing on his dragon, expertly strapped into his saddle and snoring lightly while the twins seemed to be having some ridiculous conversation. Heather and Fishlegs were chatting softly, the words gentle and private and Hiccup...was silent. The Night Fury was focussed, his wings slicing the air effortlessly but his rider was silent and brooding. And she realised that they could force him to go through with the ceremony, to abandon every dream he had but they couldn't make him love her...or even like her. And though he would probably end up being polite to her, their friendship would be over. Because she knew, in her heart, he would never forgive her for doing this to him.