For Milady

THIRTY SIX: Enemy, my enemy

"They have two heads?" he managed. She shook her head in disappointment.

"Well, my oh-so-challenged friend, we're going to set a record!" she told him loudly.

"A record exclusively for the Zippleback!" Tuff told him, sidling up on his other side. Hiccup tried to inch away: getting between the twins was still something to be avoided.

"Like longest skid mark!" Ruff explained. Folding her arms sceptically, Astrid frowned at her.

"Didn't really make the cut on that one, did you?" she pointed out. Both twins glared at her as they remounted their dragon.

"Your negativity will not deter us, Astrid," Tuff said with dignity. "Most consecutive barrel rolls...GO!" As they launched, Hiccup walked over to Astrid, standing by her side and watching the Zippleback spin wildly with the twins hanging on.

"This really isn't going to go well, is it?" Hiccup commented as they watched the dragon top out and the twins fall away. The Thorstons impacted onto the beach, rapidly followed by their dizzy dragon.

"Nope, not really," Astrid replied casually. "But at least they missed us this time..."

"HICCUP! Terror Mail!" Fishlegs yelled, waving a scroll around as he flew in on Meatlug. The pair shared a look: it was just typical of their efforts to have any sort of alone time and both young Vikings felt their chance of a quiet afternoon evaporate. "It's from Stoick!"

They shared a look, both of puzzlement and resignation.

"I guess the picnic will have to wait," Astrid sighed as Hiccup nodded, his brows furrowing in concern.

"Now why would Dad be writing to me?" he murmured, watching as Fishlegs landed and offered him the parchment. And while there was a huge part of him that ached for some sign that his father cared, that his father would forgive him, he knew in his heart that Stoick the Vast, the respected and revered Chief of Berk, would not bend and reverse his decree of disownment against his errant son on a whim. Excited, Fishlegs handed him the letter and he unrolled it, staring at the bold runes. To his eye, it didn't look like his father's hand anyway and as he read the words, he knew it was a ruse. Disappointment flooded through him and he almost cast the the letter aside...but there were two words that captured his attention.

DragonEye Lens.

Whoever wrote this claimed to have found a DragonEye lens on a remote island and was asking for Hiccup to come alone and in person to collect it. He chewed his lip in thought as Toothless ambled up and gave an inquisitive warble, sniffing the parchment.

"I know, bud," he sighed. "And we both know this isn't from Dad." He almost flinched as a light hand dropped on his arm and he shook his head.

"Hiccup..." Astrid's voice was soft as she leaned against him. "Who is it from then?" Emerald eyes flicked up.

"Whoever wants DragonEye lenses," he said and her eyes widened. "My guess would be Viggo...because the man is a consummate game player-and this is a class piece of manipulation. Except he doesn't know that I have been disowned..."

"Or maybe he does and he hopes that you will be so desperate to reconcile with your father that you'll drop your guard..." she pointed out and he sighed.

"And he's half right," he admitted, his hand finding hers. "But I have so much more to lose than gain so I have to be careful..." His mind drifted back to his cache of DragonEye lenses. "And at least I may be able to find out where they are. From what the others have been telling me that Krogan has been chasing lenses all over the Archipelago."