▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅
❛ ᴋʜᴀʟᴇᴇsɪ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ : ɪɴғɪʟᴛʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ꒱
❝ IT'S NOT VIOLENCE,
IT'S COMMUNICATION ❞
▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅
"I can't believe you said that to her!" Astrid exclaimed when they returned to Berk.
After their failure to retrieve the book, Heather had been secured in a cell. Hiccup hadn't gotten very far when the blonde had demanded he tell her what had happened with Dany. He now stood looking at her in confusion, just as lost as he had been the night before. "I don't get it, what did I say that was so wrong?"
She groaned in response. "Ugh! You can be such a muttonhead sometimes!"
"Hey!"
"It's true," the Hofferson countered unapologetically. "What do you think you meant?"
"Just that I took a chance on Dany even though she did threaten to kill me, but instead we became best friends. Are you telling me there's another way that could've been interpreted?"
Astrid sighed. "You know Dany better than most of us. You know people still view her, her family, as outcasts. And then you go and call her strange while taking the new girl's side? Yeah, I'd be pretty mad, too."
Hiccup's eyes widened. "But I didn't mean it like that! She knows I didn't mean it like that, right?"
"Does she?" she asked archly. "Because you also know that Dany has a hard time understanding tone, especially sarcasm. It wouldn't be a stretch for her to accidentally take what you said the wrong way."
"Oh," he said as the realization dawned on him. That would explain why she'd been so hurt by what he'd said. He felt his heart twist in his chest at the idea that she could possibly think of her in such a negative way. Without wasting any more time, he went over to Toothless to climb onto his dragon.
"Where are you going?" the blonde called after him.
He got himself settled on the Night Fury's back before he replied, "to make things right."
🏹🏹🏹
Hiccup had to admit that he was a bit nervous when he arrived at the now-familiar cottage in the clearing. The dragons that were usually playfighting nearby were unsettlingly still as he landed. Viserion and Rhaegal were crouched low to the ground, their eyes trained on him as they stood on either side of Drogon. Their brother pinned the boy with his bright, flame-orange eyes as his lips curled back to reveal his sharp teeth.
The brunet winced at their reactions to his presence; he'd never felt threatened by dragons before, but it was clear that he wasn't welcome. They must have somehow sensed Dany's current feelings towards him. As he often was, Toothless was ready to protect him. He curled himself around his rider to face the other three with his ears back and teeth bared. His tail lashed agitatedly as he challenged the other dragons to just try and hurt his rider.
Hiccup laid a careful hand on the Night Fury's back to calm him, not wanting to provoke anything. He met Drogon's eyes and lifted his other hand placatingly. "I know I upset Dany last night; I'm just here to apologize and explain what I meant."
He could see the large dragon hesitate as he clearly thought that Hiccup didn't deserve a second chance. Then, Drogon glanced down at Toothless' fierce expression and he heaved a great sigh. Dany's dragon reluctantly folded his legs underneath him to settle on the ground. There was warning still written clearly on his face but, for his mother's sake, he would allow the boy to pass.
Relieved at the dragons' acceptance, he went over to the door to knock, leaving Toothless in the clearing. He could still feel Drogon's 'you better not screw this up' look on his back, which remained present until the door opened.
This time, it was neither Dany nor her mother who was on the other side. Instead, a man with very light blonde, shoulder-length hair pulled back into a ponytail greeted him. Like the other two members of his family, he had an unusually youthful face with not a strand of facial hair to speak of. He was tall and willowy with remarkably pale blue eyes; they had the same off-putting factor that his daughter's eyes did whenever Hiccup was able to look into them.
"Uh, hi, sir. I'm Hiccup," he stammered, extending a hand awkwardly.
The man looked him up and down appraisingly before he spoke in a lighthearted tone: "well, well, if it isn't the mythical Hiccup. I was beginning to think my daughter made you up just to avoid family dinners."
Hiccup wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so he offered, "no, I'm definitely real. I'm friends with Dany."
He chuckled at the boy's unease and finally shook the teen's hand. "I'm Randolf; it's about time we met. I wish it was in better circumstances, though; it seems that you've gone and upset my Dany."
The boy winced at that. "I know, I'm sorry. I'd like to talk to her if. . . if I can."
Randolf studied him for a moment longer before he nodded, deciding that the brunet was being genuine. After all, if Dany had decided that he was her friend, he must be worthy of the title; she didn't make them easily. "Very well— but I will warn you: she's. . . not in the best of moods."
He nodded in acknowledgement of the man's words before he allowed Dany's father to lead him to the girl's room. Hiccup wasn't sure what he'd expected to find behind the closed door, but it certainly wasn't the scene of destruction that greeted him. He let out a quiet, "woah," at the sight of it.
Daenerys' room had always been a cluttered, messy place, but after her burst of anger it was ten times worse. Most of the carving projects that she had been working on (in various states of progress— she could never seem to stick to just one) were smashed to bits. Pieces of dragon statues littered the floor in sharp fragments. Her half-hearted attempts at making furniture were shattered beyond repair. The blonde sat in the middle of all the destruction, eerily calm. The only outward sign of distress about her was that her silvery hair was in even more disarray than usual.
She looked up at her father's footsteps, her questioning expression turning angry at the sight of the boy who lingered behind him. She pushed herself to her feet, not caring that her bare toes were in danger of walking over splinters as she approached them. The Targaryen put her hands on her hips as she glared at the brunet. "What's he doing here?"
Randolf chose his words carefully as he replied, "Dany, he's here to talk. He wants to apologize and sort things out."
The girl scoffed. "He missed that chance when he took her side. I'm done talking."
Although he'd known to expect it, Hiccup was still surprised at how angry she was with him. He knew that he hurt her, but this rage, especially in its physical form, seemed. . . excessive. But still, this was Dany, his best friend, and not even her worst moods would be enough to deter him from abandoning her. He stepped out from the shadow of her father and into her room, despite Randolf's hissed warning not to.
He took a deep breath and began: "Dany, I know you're angry with me, but I just wanted to explain what I meant last night. When I said 'that's what I did with you,' I wasn't referring to the strange part. I meant that I trusted you, and the best part about that decision was that we became friends— best friends. And I gave Heather the benefit of the doubt since I thought the same could be said of her; obviously I was wrong about her. I'm sorry that I made it seem that I would ever think about you like that."
Daenerys's eyes narrowed as she listened to Hiccup's explanation. She kept her hands on her hips, still radiating an air of hostility. "Trust? Really, Hiccup? You trusted her over me. It doesn't matter what you thought she was like. You chose her side when you should've been on mine."
"Dany, I messed up. I see that now. I should've been more careful with my words, and I definitely shouldn't have let Heather get between us. I just want you to understand that I value our friendship more than anything."
The blonde sent him a disbelieving look. "Friendship? Is that what you call it? You know, it's easy to claim friendship after you've betrayed someone. I thought you were different, Hiccup. I thought you understood me."
Hiccup took a step closer, his eyes pleading. "I do understand you, Dany. I know I messed up, but I want to make things right."
Daenerys looked away, her expression softening for a moment before hardening again. "You should've thought about that before. I trusted you, and you let me down. I don't know if I can just forget about it."
Randolf, who treated his daughter much like he did their dragons, spoke up in a quiet, even voice. He was the best at calming her worst outbursts, his tone allowing him to reason with her even at her most stubborn. "Dany, forgiveness is a strength, not a weakness. People change, make errors, and learn from them. True friendship withstands those tests. If you truly valued what you had, perhaps giving him a chance to make amends could be the path to something stronger. But that decision is yours to make."
As she let her father's words sink in, Dany looked around her room, for the first time without the haze of anger hovering over her vision. Regret and shame were equal emotions on her face as she took in the damage she had caused; all of her projects were ruined. All of that work, all of that time, only for it to be destroyed in a bout of her fury.
After what felt like an eternity, Daenerys finally sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I don't know, Hiccup. This is more than just about last night; I trusted you, but when push came to shove, you chose someone we didn't even know."
"Would it help if I said that I could start proving that I'm on your side right now?"
The blonde did her best to not look interested but didn't do a very good job of it. "What did you have in mind?"
He glanced at Randolf, who could tell that his daughter wasn't as volatile as she had been earlier that day. He nodded to the boy and slipped from the room, allowing them to talk more privately. Once he was gone, Hiccup replied, "I made a mistake trusting Heather and she took the Book of Dragons. We tried to go after her and get it back, but weren't able to get there in time. It's in Alvin's hands now and we don't know what he's planning with it. I need your help, Dany. We need to find a way to stop him, and I can't do it alone. Will you help me?"
🏹🏹🏹
Although a part of her wanted to refuse, Dany agreed and she found herself at the Dragon Academy later that day. The gang was training for a full-on assault from Alvin, should it come to that. She sincerely hoped it wouldn't since they were rather ill prepared; trying to get the twins in sync was like trying to teach a yak to knit— impossible.
Not only that, but her arrival had been lukewarmly received; Snotlout had greeted her with a dry, "oh, now look who shows up."
At least Astrid had been welcoming as ever and had sent her a questioning glance. Dany knew that she wanted to know what happened, but she just jerked her head in a motion that clearly meant later. Now they were watching Snotlout try to aim a catapult at Meatlug.
"Hey! That was a little close, Snotlout!" Fishlegs cried.
"Quit whining, Fishlegs!"
The blond boy gave him an irritated scowl and turned his dragon the teen's direction. In retaliation, he had Meatlug release the lava that had been formed by her swallowing the boulder right where Snotlout had been standing.
"Hey, cut it out!"
"Quit whining, Snotlout!" he echoed mockingly.
Hiccup came over on Toothless to intervene, reminding them: "nice job, guys. But remember, the Outcasts are not going to be coming one at a time."
Dany stayed next to Astrid, still not quite ready to forgive the brunet. Drogon seemed to be in complete agreement with her as his orange eyes stayed trained menacingly on the boy, though his posture remained relaxed as he curled his neck over her shoulder.
Fishlegs didn't appreciate the thought, and he whimpered a bit as he pictured the what-if scenario. "You don't need to remind me. We're under enough stress."
"Remember," he continued, "we're only gonna have one shot at getting the Book of Dragons back."
"Uh, did I not make myself clear about the stress?" Fishlegs asked before he and Meatlug flew out of the way, her wings buzzing as she went.
The twins were next up with Ruffnut leading the way as she urged Barf to let out a cloud of gas. Her brother followed with Belch, who sparked it into flames. Snotlout dove out of the way just in time as their fire washed over Hookfang.
Astrid landed next to them on Stormfly, calling out: "too early, Snotlout! You have to time it perfectly!"
"It wasn't me," he exclaimed, lifting his hands defensively. He pointed an accusing finger in the twins' direction. "It was them."
"Uh, sorry," Ruffnut said, not sounding very apologetic at all.
"Yeah," he brother added, chuckling to himself. "Still working out the kinks."
Dany sighed because that meant the twins had no intention of cooperating; in fact, they were probably planning on making things worse. There wasn't much improvement from anyone else, either, as Hookfang lit up in flames due to the twins aggravating him. Astrid shot a glare at the flaming dragon. "Can you calm him down?"
Drogon bared his teeth in the Monstrous Nightmare's direction. Dany could feel his muscles coiling as he prepared to take matters into his own hands— claws?— and she turned to Snotlout to prompt him: "do it now— just like I showed you."
The boy sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Fine. Whatever."
He ran over to his dragon and grabbed the Monstrous Nightmare's horns to pin them roughly to the ground. Hookfang's flames immediately died down as his head lolled on the arena floor, his tongue hanging out from the side of his mouth. He smirked at his success. "Daenerys taught me that one awhile ago. Thanks, babe."
She grimaced in reply. "Don't. . . mention it."
Meatlug flew closer to them as Fishlegs tried to understand their reasoning. "Wait, wait, wait— he likes having his horns pinned to the ground?"
"Tuffnut does," his sister offered.
He frowned. "I do?"
The question encouraged her to fling herself at him so she could force the horns of his helmet against the ground. He let out a contented sigh. "Oh, yeah. That does feel kind of nice. The dirt's soft. . ."
Astrid rolled her eyes at their antics, her tone short as she demanded: "Can we get on with it? There could be a whole army coming at us."
"Well," Snotlout began, gesturing to her mockingly, "we're waiting. . ."
Astrid directed Stormfly into the air, and as soon as she was ready, Hookfang lit fire to the ground. "Spine shot, Stormfly!"
In response, the Nadder shot out some of her tail spines into it, creating flaming spikes. One of them pinned itself into Tuffnut's helmet, but he just shrugged. "Huh. kinda like that, too. Make a note."
"That's gonna work great," Hiccup decided with a satisfied smile.
"You know, all this training is nice once we have the book, but Alvin's not just gonna hand it over to us," Fishlegs pointed out.
Astrid landed Stormfly next to them and jumped off while Dany left the comfort of Drogon behind to join the group. The Targaryen twirled a piece of silvery-blonde hair around her finger as she shared a glance with the other girl. When Astrid nodded in encouragement, she spoke up hesitantly: "we've been thinking about that, actually. Alvin will probably only hand to someone on his side that he trusts. . . like Heather."
Fishlegs gave her a wary look as he leaned over to whisper (loudly) to Hiccup: "I didn't want to say this before, but I think I'm starting to believe the rumors about the Targaryen madness. . ."
Hearing his words, Astrid elbowed him sharply in the gut as retribution for her best friend. He winced and held his stomach. "Ow! Why is it always violence with you?"
"It's not violence, it's communication," she answered loftily.
Hiccup didn't seem to catch what they were hinting at and he frowned at the idea. "So, you're suggesting that we let Heather go?"
"Sort of," the Hofferson said.
"Oh no, is the madness contagious?" the blond boy asked in alarm. He backed away from the girls, but not quickly enough as Astrid punched him in the stomach again.
Hiccup pulled the two girls away from the rest of the group. "What are you guys planning?"
They shared another glance before Dany responded, "well, obviously we can't risk Heather actually going to Alvin, but. . . there are ways to make it look like she is."
"Blonde hair is very easy to dye black," Astrid finished, her tone smug.
The brunet's eyes widened as the realization sunk in. There was only a faint hit of concern in his gaze as he looked over at the Targaryen. "Okay. And. . . who would be Heather? Dany?"
"Oh, gods no," Daenerys replied quickly. "There's no way that I could pull that off. Plus my eyes would give me away even if my hair was colored. Astrid's going."
Although he wasn't especially happy about that either since he didn't want to put any of his friends in danger, Hiccup still let out a breath of relief that at least Dany would stay near him— er, the group— when they went into enemy territory.
🏹🏹🏹
Later that night, they waited by the boat they'd prepared for 'Heather's' journey. Apparently not everyone had been filled in on the plan as, once Astrid had come out of the cave, the twins sprinted forward charged at her.
"Heather!"
"Get her!"
"That rhymes!"
They pinned Astrid to the ground, holding her arms out at her sides. Since it was so dark, they didn't see the furious glare she shot at them as she struggled under their combined weight.
"You— must— stay— in— your— cell," Tuffnut grunted. "How many times do we have to tell you?"
The boy made the mistake of lifting one of his hands off her to adjust his helmet. Astrid took her chance and punched him in the face, freeing herself from both blondes. The Hofferson sat up, seething at their idiocy. "It's me, you muttonheads!"
They stood and Tuffnut looked at her critically with one hand on his chin. "Whoa."
"Wow!"
"Sorry, Astrid. Totally unconvincing."
She rolled her eyes as she walked past them. "Oh, yeah. I could tell."
Hiccup and Dany went over to the boat after Astrid had climbed in. The blonde girl placed a hand on its side as the boy watched her worriedly. "You sure about this?"
"No, but it's our only chance," she reasoned.
"We'll be shadowing you from the sky," Dany reminded her.
The other girl scoffed a little. "I don't need shadowing."
"We know," the Targaryen reassured her, "but it's better to be safe than sorry, right?"
"Besides, it'll make us feel better," Hiccup added.
Since the boat put Astrid at a taller height than them, Dany tilted her head up to look at her best friend. "We'll stay out of sight— promise. We won't risk the mission for the sake of being careful."
She nodded in agreement. "I'll get the book and get out of there."
Then it was time to send her off. Fishlegs pushed the boat out to sea and the group watched as she drifted away from them, growing smaller with each passing second. When they could no longer see her, the others turned back to get ready for their phase of the plan, leaving only Dany and Hiccup by the shore for a moment longer.
"She'll be okay, won't she?" the girl asked, her eyes never leaving the horizon.
The brunet didn't seem to hear her at first, his gaze focused on something besides the skyline. His face was turned towards the girl, his expression rather soft, especially for what they were about to do. Although he thought that Dany was pretty on a daily basis, she was particularly striking in the moonlight. The light of the moon turned her hair even more silvery, tumbling down her shoulders like a shimmering waterfall. It played tricks on the shadows of her features, creating an ethereal glow around her. With her bow and arrows strapped to her back, Dany looked nothing short of one of the Valkyries from Valhalla, and Hiccup wondered how he could have ever put Heather above her.
"Of course," he said once he registered her question. "She's strong, and Astrid is one of the best fighters we have. And like we said, we'll be there if things get tricky."
Dany nodded, as appeased as she could be until both their friend and the book were safely returned.
🏹🏹🏹
"I wanna go on record and say that I'm not so sure about this plan, guys," Fishlegs told them, as nervous as ever.
"If you have another one, I'm open," Hiccup replied, raising his voice over the wind. As part of their strategy, he had a large basket of fish strapped to his back for when they encountered the wild dragons.
"I just think landing in a wild dragon nesting ground is really going to freak Meatlug out." The boy's dragon let out a belch in agreement.
"Really? Well, how does she feel about flaming arrows and catapults?"
Fishlegs grimaced at the other option. "Uh, yeah, she really doesn't like those either."
"It'll be fine, Fishlegs," Dany reassured him, her voice barely reaching their ears from her place above them. Drogon's large shadow was a heartening shield from being bombarded by any errant dragons, so her words were actually encouraging. "We'll make it through, you'll see!"
As usual, Snotlout tried to one-up everyone by boasting, "tell you what, Fishlegs, when we get there, you just lay back, and let the real dragons do the work."
The blond shook his head. "Yeah. . . You really have no idea what a swarm of angry wild dragons are capable of."
The twins came up on either side of him, with Tuffnut stating, "You know what would be awesome?"
His sister answered: "Flaming arrows. . . catapults. . ."
"And wild dragons!" he finished excitedly.
"That makes three of you!"
🏹🏹🏹
They continued to fly through the darkness, thankfully unbothered by any dragons. With the exception of the sharp rocks that jutted up from the water, their pathway was clear. Growing more comfortable since they hadn't met any adversaries, Hiccup called over to the habitually nervous boy, "you see this, Fishlegs? You got yourself all worked up for nothin'."
Unfortunately, he spoke too soon as the screech of a wild dragon reached their ears. "Umm. . . You were saying?"
The brunet remained calm as he reminded them, "stick to the plan! No matter how crazy it gets."
Snotlout scoffed in reply, seemingly unaffected even as more wild dragons surrounded them. "Crazy? I love crazy! Bring it! Wait! What's the plan again?"
They soared downwards and the group of dragons followed them. When they reached the lowest point of their dive, the changed course so that they were angled sharply upwards. Just as they gained lift, Hiccup shouted: "now! Fire!"
He released the fish in his basket as a bait to distract the dragons, which prompted Dany to fulfill her part of the plan. As the biggest dragon they had, even wild dragons were loath to challenge Drogon. So, she angled him parallel to the other riders where they fell into a graceful arc. His widespread wings allowed a large barrier between them and the swooping dragons so that the others could fly unhindered.
They kept in a tight group as the wild dragons dove below them, Drogon and Dany completing calm spirals around them. The other dragons were easily deterred from picking a fight with any of theirs as any opportunity they had was met with either Drogon's wings or tail. The only flaw in their otherwise perfect execution was (of course) Snotlout— he'd forgotten to release his fish.
"Yes! We did it!" he cheered. "Stupid dragons!"
Stupid boy, the Targaryen thought in response as her eyes caught on what he was holding. She and Drogon were at the high point of their circle, above their friends' heads. Since she was the one to see it first, she shouted: "Snotlout, drop the fish!"
He turned his head upwards to look at her with probably a snarky comment on his lips, but he was cut off by saying anything as a Deadly Nadder dove down to grab it from him. Dany's heart raced as the Nadder swooped down, its sharp talons reaching for the fish in Snotlout's hand. Time seemed to slow as she urged Drogon into as much speed as he could manage, diving towards the oncoming dragon. The larger dragon's wings extended even wider, shielding Snotlout from the impending danger.
Although he was reluctant to let go of his lunch, he was even less enthusiastic about becoming the Nadder's meal— and having Drogon's huge, sharp claws so close to his person. He hastily let go of the bait, allowing it to fall freely. The Nadder, however, was determined, and it continued its descent to snatch the falling treat mid-air.
Drogon twisted in mid-air and snatched the Nadder's tail in his powerful jaws to give the dragon a warning bite. The Deadly Nadder screeched in surprise, dropping the fish as it struggled against Drogon's grip. The Targaryen maintained her composure, directing her dragon to release the Nadder unharmed. While she knew Drogon could take care of any dragon that was a threat to them, her friends were watching and she knew Hiccup wouldn't like it if she hurt a dragon unnecessarily, even one that posed as a danger to the group.
As the Nadder flew off with an irritated screech, she fell back to fly with the group once more. Hiccup glanced over at her with pride and gratitude on his face— an expression she missed since she was busy scolding Snotlout for being so careless. ("Next time, stick to the plan from start to finish!")
When they had recovered from the altercation, the brunet made sure to tell her, "great job, Dany."
Even though she was still mad at him about the whole Heather incident, the blonde felt her face flush despite the cool wind. She knew that she had the tendency to take things a bit too far, especially in the heat of the moment, so she was extra pleased that he approved of her actions.
🏹🏹🏹
They landed at the waiting place without any more obstacles. While they listened for Astrid's signal, the riders used their own methods to entertain their dragons; Fishlegs scratched Meatlug under her chin, Snotlout leaned against Hookfang in a bored fashion and Drogon lowered his head so that Dany could gently stroke the scales on his snout.
After a while, some of the boys started to get restless; tired of waiting, Snotlout cupped his hands over his mouth to let out a loud, "coo-coo! Coo-coo!"
Hiccup gave him an unimpressed look as Drogon snorted with irritation at the unexpected noise. "What are you doing?"
"Coo-coo! Coo-coo!" he repeated. "Duh, that's our signal!"
The brunet sighed. "Guys, we don't give the signal this time, Astrid does." He sat down on the rocky ledge. "We talked about this."
"I remember that," Dany agreed.
"Kiss up," Snotlout grumbled.
"Like any of this matters anyway," Fishlegs spoke over the other boy's complaint. He wrung his hands together as he worried about their friend. "Astrid's almost an hour late! Oh, we should never have let her go. Alvin must've figured out what was going on and—"
"Fishlegs," the Targaryen cut across him, her tone patient, "it'll be okay. This is Astrid we're talking about, after all. She's strong, and she's one of the best fighters we have."
Hiccup smiled a little as she echoed his words from earlier. He hoped that meant they were on better terms than they had been that morning.
🏹🏹🏹
Dany had to admit that even she was beginning to get impatient when it was starting to feel like several hours had passed. She turned sharply at the sound of leaves rustling close by, which had also caught Hiccup's attention. He stood and looked in the same direction.
"There's Astrid!" he exclaimed with relief.
"Who's that with her?" Fishlegs asked, as there were two older Vikings— one with blond hair and the other with dark brown— on either side of her.
"I don't know," was the reply. It didn't matter, though, as the girl waved to fingers in the air. "But that's the signal. Okay, let's go, bud," he added to his dragon.
He flew over to where the trio was waiting. Toothless' arrival understandably made the older couple scared and as he moved closer to sniff at them, they held on to each other for support. If this was their reaction to Toothless, he was glad that Dany and Drogon hadn't been in his place.
"Who's this?"
"Heather's parents," Astrid answered. She lowered her voice to add, "she was telling the truth, just go with the plan."
Additional movement from the tree line made him look over in alarm, only to see several Outcasts emerge with spears and shields. Alvin himself emerged, calling, "oi! There they are! Get them!"
As the Vikings enclosed around them, Hiccup placed a calming hand on Toothless' neck to keep him from reacting. Astrid and Heather's parents shuffled closer, tightening their small circle. Alvin laughed at their unease as he approached them. "Well, Hiccup, bet you're surprised to see me."
The boy remained unphased and he shrugged. "Eh, not really. This is where you live, right?" Toothless let out a little roar. "Easy, bud. Looks like he's got us this time."
The leader of the Outcasts smirked with pride, clearly impressed by his own cunning. "You know, Hiccup. . . along with that little girlfriend of yours, your knowledge of dragons is unmatched. With this book and my knowledge of warfare, the three of us could make quite the team. How's that sound?"
If it had been their friends teasing him about his relationship with Dany, his face would've turned a bright shade of red. Now, though, he merely scoffed in response as he replied for both of them, "uh. . . insane, demented, delusional, stupid?"
Alvin let out an annoyed huff at his refusal but quickly moved on. "All right then, we'll just have to agree to disagree. You're a smart boy, Hiccup. You know I can't let you leave the island."
"And you're a smart, murderous barbarian, Alvin. You know I have a better plan than this."
"So do I," the older man replied.
They both cried, "now!" at the same time with very different results.
Alvin's men readied themselves for battle, thrusting their swords out in front of them— but they were not used so much for weapons than as a barrier to keep the oncoming dragon riders from getting any closer. They were easily felled as Hookfang blasted flames directly at their shields, sending the soldiers running for their lives.
Meatlug leapt forward and used her weight to throw a man bodily to the side. She then turned and took out another man with her clubbed tail. Barf and Belch picked soldiers off one by one as they grasped them in their jaws to dangle them in the air before they flung them away.
Dany flew high above the chaos as Drogon circled the clearing almost lazily. She had readied her arrows before they launched into battle and was now picking off Alvin's men who shot crossbows from trees. They were so focused on their ground targets that they never thought to take an aerial one into consideration. She watched with satisfaction as her arrows hit each of their marks, causing the Outcasts to fall from the branches like unwieldy leaves.
But, it still wasn't enough; more soldiers seemed to pour in and overwhelm the riders. Several of them got a net over Meatlug and Fishlegs, who cried out: "help! This wasn't part of the plan, guys!"
Another Viking lassoed a rope around the Hideous Zippleback, tying their heads together. The twins were promptly thrown off and landed harshly against the rocky ground. Toothless backed up as other Outcasts approached them with their swords raised. He shot a plasma blast but, somehow, their shields held.
Astrid commandeered a shield from a careless soldier and knocked him out easily, but a shield could only do so much against swords. Even though Dany took out as many as she could from the sky, it seemed that Alvin had an endless stream of men at his disposal— and she only had so many arrows.
Snotlout retreated back towards Hiccup, insisting, "there's too many of them!"
"We're never getting out of here!" Astrid added, raising her voice above the noise. She'd been forced to take a position near Toothless to keep the fire off herself as much as she could. Dany was the only one to remain unaffected by the swarm of men, though her quiver was definitely starting to feel the strain.
Then, a shadow— smaller, quicker, more agile than Drogon's— darted across the ground. The net was lifted off of Meatlug and Fishlegs. A burst of flame burned away the rope that tied the Zippleback heads together.
"Is that. . .?"
"Heather," Astrid replied, impressed despite herself. She beamed at the sight of her beloved dragon. "Stormfly!"
"What?" Alvin demanded. "Heather?"
As the Deadly Nadder landed next to them, the Hofferson ran forward to greet her dragon happily. To the other girl, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."
"It's okay. I wouldn't have believed me, either."
"Now let's get your parents." She joined Heather on Stormfly's back and the brunette (the real one) wrapped her arms around Astrid.
The others followed their lead and took off after the Nadder, who grasped them in her claws. Heather reassured them from above by instructing them, "Mom! Dad! Hold on!"
"Alright guys, just like we practiced! Ruffnut, cover fire!"
"It's about time!" she exclaimed gleefully.
She guided her dragon to lay down a thick layer of green gas, which her brother lit with a cheer of, "I love this part!"
As the catapults were destroyed in one fell blow, Hiccup turned his attention to the next target— the oncoming boulder. Quickly, he shouted over to the other boy: "Fishlegs, incoming!"
Meatlug was ready and easily swallowed the large rock. "Oh, nice catch, girl! Lava blast!"
Her shot took care of the final catapult and the nearby men ran for cover. Dany reached an arm back to take an arrow from her quiver, but was only met with empty air. She swooped lower to get level with Stormfly and— addressing just Astrid— she informed the other girl, "I'm out! You're up next."
Stormfly released a set of spine shots, which Hookfang lit aflame. They embedded themselves in the tree trunks and forced the remaining archers to jump to the ground for safety. Snotlout let out a cheer. "You feelin' the heat, boys? 'Cuz I sure am!"
"Great job, guys!" Hiccup told them. "Let's get out of here."
Furious at their success— maybe Dany should teach him some anger-management tips— Alvin made a last-ditch effort to get them. He tossed Savage into a catapult and released it, despite the man's protests. As he flew through the air, Dany thought— prayed— that maybe Alvin had terrible aim. Surely their win was enough, right?
But, it wasn't.
As Savage flew over them, his arc was just right to take Astrid out on his way down. The Hofferson was lucky enough to catch a tree branch before she reached the ground, but it wasn't strong enough to hold her weight. When she did land at its base, Alvin was waiting for her.
He picked her up easily in one of his large, meaty hands and threw her over his shoulder, flailing legs and all. Dany's heart dropped into her stomach as her best friend landed back in the Outcast's clutches— and not on purpose. "Astrid!"
Seeming to read her mind, Drogon turned in mid-air, his wings beating powerfully as they changed direction. He folded them in so they could dive towards the ground like a bullet, hoping, desperately, to reach her in time. As he levelled out feet from the ground, the Targaryen had her dragon shoot small bursts of flame at Alvin's heels in the hope that it would get him to drop Astrid— of course, being careful to not actually set the girl on fire.
The leader of the Outcasts came to a stop at the cliff's edge. Drogon pulled back as much as he could, his weight keeping them from making a clean stop. He finally stilled inches away from Alvin's face, but even having the largest dragon he'd ever seen staring him down wasn't enough to deter him from hanging Astrid over the water.
"Surrender," the older man said with an evil grin on his face. "Or else. . . well, you know the rest."
Unhesitatingly, Dany began, "Drogon, Ald—"
Astrid looked down sudden, her attention caught on something not far below. "Dany, don't shoot!"
Drogon let out a puff of hot steam that ruffled Alvin's beard, but the orange glow in the back of his throat disappeared. He pinned the Hofferson with an 'are you sure about this?' look, as best as a dragon could do.
An unfamiliar Monstrous Nightmare appeared, catching the Outcast leader by surprise. The dragon flicked him backwards with his tail. Astrid landed on the ground as well, but she took the opportunity to get the Book of Dragons back. Then, the Nightmare came back to pick her up, lifting her into the air, back to safety.
"Who is that?" the Targaryen wanted to know as they flew away.
"Just a new friend I made."
Dany smiled at her as she asked teasingly, "are you trying to steal my title as Mother of Dragons?"
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," she replied in a similar tone.
🏹🏹🏹
The morning after Heather left found Dany on the rocky shores of Berk. She was usually an early riser, so the gray, pre-dawn light didn't bother her. The wind still held an arctic chill to it, but that wasn't something she really registered, either, as her bare feet carefully carried her over sharp rocks. Since she had only gone for a short flight to get to the beach, her daily flower crown— today's was made up of very pale, light pink flowers— was still resting securely amongst her tumble of wild silver curls. Her bow and arrows (refilled after the battle) had been laid to rest by Drogon's side for safekeeping.
This was one of her favorite times of the day; too early for normal humans to be awake, too late for anything remotely dangerous to bother her (not that anything would with Drogon breathing over her shoulder.) Speaking of the large dragon, he had laid himself out on the rocks in a completely straight line, his wings folded close to his sides. The only sign of life from him was his half-closed eyes as he watched his mother fondly. Dany knew that he was waiting patiently for the sun to rise, when its rays would hit the rocks and warm them to a comfortable heat, which he would soak up like a sponge.
The Targaryen herself wasn't waiting for anything; she was already combing the shore, half-bent as she looked for little presents that were left behind by the sea. If Drogon could talk, he would nag her about her posture ("you'll be bent like a willow tree if you walk like that!") but, thankfully, he couldn't, so he kept his comments to himself.
They had been there for nearly half an hour when Drogon unexpectedly lifted his head, his nostrils flaring as he smelled the breeze. There was more than just salty ocean air on it; something else, something like the night— cool and smokey, with the hint of the static buzz of lightning behind it. Recognizing the scent, Drogon merely laid his head back on the ground.
Moments later, Toothless and Hiccup soared into view. The boy landed close to the cliffs and jumped off his dragon. The sound of his metal leg hitting the rocks alerted Dany, and she looked up at him in surprise. "Hiccup? What are you doing here?"
"Good morning to you too," he said, his tone still a little sleepy, as if he'd just woken up. "I'm not out here for my health, you know."
She frowned. "Then why are you here? And good morning."
"I missed our rock-collecting date, didn't I?" He blushed furiously as he realized the slip of his words. "I-I mean, not date-date. Not like that. Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, I just mean— uh, that we were supposed to collect rocks together—"
The Targaryen couldn't help but laugh at his awkwardness, the silvery peal of it a pleasant sound in the cool morning air. "It's okay, Hiccup. I get it. Are. . . are you sure you want to. . . do this together?"
"I got up early for you, didn't I?" he asked, not to make her feel bad, only to point out that he was committed to his promise.
"Yes, I suppose you did. Thank you."
After she finished speaking, she turned away and returned to her original task, leaving the boy standing there, feeling a bit confused. He thought she'd be happier that he'd made good on his word, albeit several days later. Instead, she seemed to be entirely unaffected; even Drogon was happier to see Toothless than she had been to see him— and that was saying something, considering that the larger dragon was simply tolerating the smaller one's curious sniffing at him.
His booted and metal feet crunched over the rocks as he went to stand beside her. "Dany, are you still mad at me?"
She straightened to look at him properly. "Not really. Why?"
"Well. . . I thought you'd be more excited that I was here?" His voice raised uncertainly at the end of his question, not even sure if that was what he'd wanted to ask.
"Oh," she replied. "Well, you promised that you'd be here. Now you are. What else do you need?"
He shook his head; even though he thought he knew her very well, Dany was like a puzzle that he'd thought he'd completed, but realized he kept finding another piece.
🏹🏹🏹
Daenerys decided to call it quits for the day when the sun had risen well above the horizon. The normal, golden light had returned, which made Drogon happy but rock-finding less bearable. To keep track of the treasures she'd found, she took out the arrows in her quiver and dumped the rocks in there instead. It rattled pleasantly as she strapped it on again. She tucked the loose arrows under her arm and made to climb onto her dragon, but Hiccup's request of "wait!" made her stop.
He crunched his way over to her with his arms out by his sides for balance over the shifting rocks. When he was close enough, she waited for him to say whatever it was that he needed to, but he did something that she least expected.
Instead of speaking, he reached forward and gently grasped her arm. Then, like she always did with him, he flipped her hand over so that her palm was facing up. Something cool and solid landed against her skin, contrasting with the warm bush of his fingertips against her palm. She shivered slightly at the difference and felt her stomach flutter with nerves at the thought of looking down.
After curling her fingers around the object, Hiccup pulled his hands away from hers. The only words he offered as an explanation were: "for you."
Dany felt her face heat up at the reverse of the gesture. There was a warmth in her chest, like a small sun had settled there and made it its home. Her heart skipped a beat at the slight, knowing smile he sent her before he turned and went to climb onto Toothless' back. (The Night Fury himself let out a rumbling chirrup, as if he were encouraging the boy for a job well-done. The sound subsequently made the brunet's own face turn red as he grumbled, "shush, you.")
It was only once the dragon and rider had taken off— and Daenerys was alone on the beach again— that she opened up her curled fingers. In her palm lay a smooth, triangular stone with black inlay, but that wasn't what made it special.
The other shade that swirled around the black was purple— or, more accurately violet. The same color as lavender flowers, the same color of amethysts, the exact same color of Dany's eyes.
A/n: two things— the first an explanation for Dany's 'fits of rage.' I do want to honor some of the personality traits as her character in GOT, but never to the full extent of 'Mad Queen Dany.' oc!Dany is a little more prone to aggression/violence when something sets her off, but it won't ever be to the destroying-cities level. Both because that doesn't really fit into the HTTYD plot/universe and because she doesn't experience as much loss as GOT!Daenerys does; I think that GOT!Daenerys would be more mild-tempered if she hadn't lost. . . basically everything, so this more a 'what if things had worked out better' (but obviously in a different universe.) So while the destroying-stuff from the beginning of the chapter may seem a bit extreme, I did want to portray oc!Dany as a bit (a very small amount) unhinged.
The other thing I keep thinking about is that I kind of regret not making this a Astrid/oc/Hiccup book, because it would be cute if Dany got together with both of them romantically. Hiccup and Dany would be the 'idiots in love' while Astrid would be the one with the braincell most of the time 🤣. But I'm so far into the HTTYD-verse that it's probably too late to make the change. . .