This is another Experiment of mine. Within this story we will find an older, slightly stronger young blacksmith, who wants nothing but to gain the love of a young maiden.

1: A Blast to Remember

On an island, built long ago, even though most, if not all of the buildings were brand new, lay the village of Berk. Berk was a harsh place. The food that grew there was tough, and tasteless, and the people, many times more so. For this was a Viking village, and to be a Viking was to be a warrior. Those that carried the title of Viking warrior were large, and muscular men and women, whose prowess in battle was unmatched by any other warrior save for one of their own.

But within the many tribes of these great warriors was one that stood above all others: the Chieftain. Upon the isle of Berk was Chief Stoick the Vast, and leader of the Hairy Hooligan tribe, one of the oldest tribes in the archipelagos.

Their close neighbors were the Meatheads, led by Mogadon, and his young son Thuggory. Rivalry between these two tribes had gone on since the founding of their tribes of three hundred years. From boat racing to hunting, whenever the two chieftains met, a competition was sure to follow.

Next were the Bog-Burglar tribe, a tribe consisting of Valkyries; female Viking warriors of the fiercest kind, never needing the aid of men save for producing the next generation of Bog-Burglars, and led by the fierce Big-Boobied Bertha, and her heir Camicazi, the finest thief to ever grace the village of female pirates.

The Hysterics were the fourth, and most feared above all the other tribes for their insanity, and barbaric skills with the sword and axe. No one dared tangle with them unless they had a death wish, and led by Norbert the Nutjob.

Which meant that they were always in conflict with the Berserker tribe, second most feared for much the same reasons, save for the fact that they could not control their bestial rage, and were often driven back, led by their Cheif, Oswaldthe Agreeable, and Dagur the Deranged .

Then there came the Outcast tribes, a group of savage, hated Vikings that had been cast out of their own tribes from all across the archipelago, led by Alvin the Treacherous, former friend and right hand of Stoick the Vast.

Finally there were the Lava-Lout tribe, the greatest enemies of the Berkian tribe, none for wearing the skins of slain dragons as armor to keep them safe from the creature's deadly flames. Though not as feared as the Hysterics, they were no less fierce in battle, and ruthlessly hunted down any of the Hairy Hooligan tribe that dared enter their waters.

But we're getting off topic aren't we?

Our story actually begins on Berk, where the Hairy Hooligan tribe must do battle with an age-old enemy of all Vikings; the dragons. Normally Vikings would spend their time, the majority of a year, on the seas, raiding, pillaging, and plundering to make ends meet. But that, for the last three hundred years, has been damnably impossible.

The dragons had come, great droves, raiding, stealing, and, in the long and short of it, killing. The tribes had fought back with all that they had, but with their mighty wings that carried them through the air, land and seas, the dragons had brought the Vikings to their knees, leaving no room to practice their piracy. But no tribe was attacked as much as the Hairy Hooligans.

Every week it seemed the dragons attacked, again and again, save for in the winter months, and never around the time of their Snoggletog holiday, giving them a scant few months of reprieve.

But, unlike you may think, the Chief is not the focus of this tale. Each Chief has his or her heir, and they were strong in their own right...save for the heir of Stoick the Vast. As tradition demanded, a child born small, weak, and sickly is called a 'Hiccup', because that's what they were to the tribe. In his own way, Stoick loved his son with all of his heart, but to the villagers, he was a disappointment. Had it not been for the fact that so few children had been born in the time of the boy's birth, he would have been given to the sea, and discarded.

But, as luck would have it, only six children had been born in that time, and Hiccup had been the first, born early to the world, as luck would have it. But as it was said, he was a 'Hiccup', small, and weak compared to others of his age group, but he was fiercely loyal to his father, and his village. His determination often showed in his willingness to do whatever his father asked of him, yet it never gained him the approval of his villagers, whom he would one day lead should he survive.

And we find out young hero, tall for his age, with shaggy auburn locks, and slight muscle build, in the forge of Gobber the Belch, his friend, and his mentor for the passed seventeen years of his life.

Like most Vikings, Gobber was a big man, but only had two limbs, thanks to a Boneknapper dragon biting off his right hand and left leg, but the wiley old Viking never let that stop him. And, as Stoick had lost his wife to a dragon long ago, Hiccup Horrendous Hadock the Third was left in the care of the blacksmith, who taught him everything he needed to know about weapon forging.

While not as beefy as his peers, Hiccup was no longer a 'Hiccup' as he had been two to three years ago. As he hammered away day and night within the forge, his strength was just as great as his people's were meant to be. But, he was clumsy, and often scorned for the fact that he was a thinker, and not a fighter. The boy was smart, smarter than many in his village. His creativity, however, was not something to brag about. His machines hardly ever worked out on the first try. His mangler, a bola launcher, backfired every time he tried to use it. It earned him the name 'Helpless' by Snotlout Jorgenson, and the twins, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut.

Matter of fact, the whole of the village seemed to pick up on that nickname...well, almost.

Hiccup felt a tap on his shoulder as he hammered away at the forge, startled, because Gobber always bellowed at him if he wanted his attention. He turned his eyes away from the bent sword he was straightening and found himself staring at the fairest maiden in his village. The Shieldmaiden, Astrid Hofferson.

Astrid was indeed a beauty. Typical blonde hair and blue eyes for a Viking girl, but, like him, she was not as big as some of the girls he knew. She was slim, and athletic, with a figure that mirrored an hour glass. She had rich pink, full lips that almost demanded attention of anyone.

"A-Astrid!" Hiccup stammered, thoroughly spooked, "Uh, what can I do for you, m'lady?"

The girl gave a small smirk at having snuck up on the blacksmith, and blew a strand of hair out of her face, "How fast can you repair my axe?" She asked, thrusting the weapon at him, knocking the wind out of him.

Hiccup was all business then as he looked down at the weapon, "Hmm, folded iron, old...brittle, and there's a crack down one of the blades." He examined, frowning, "What'd you hit with this, a Gronkle?"

"No, I missed and hit a rock in the last raid," she admitted with embarrassment as she turned away from him, "So, can you fix it?"

"No."

"What?!" Astrid rounded on him, glaring fiercely, "Why?!"

"Because," Hiccup started, "This axe will shatter with another hit." To prove his point, he twirled the axe around, and tapped the flat side of the blade against his anvil. The broken side of the axe immediately fell to pieces. Much to Astrid's dismay.

"Oh, now what am I supposed to do?" She bemoaned, palming herself in the face, "That's the only axe I had, and it was an heirloom!"

Hiccup gave a small smile and gathered up the pieces of the axe, "Don't worry, I can make a new one for you," he said, moving over to the smelter, Astrid following after him, "I'll try to make it a little stronger, too. Can't have Berk's best warrior without a weapon, right?"

"But I can't afford a new axe," she said, blushing slightly at his compliment of her. It wasn't every day that the son of the chief, no matter how hopeless he was, paid her a compliment.

Hiccup just shrugged, "Hey, we're due for a raid any day now, and if you go out there without a weapon, you're as good as dead," he said, and worked the bellows to get the metal heated up. "Besides, Gobber would kill me if I didn't do this. And I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you," he muttered quietly.

"What was that, I didn't catch it," she asked, sounding almost polite.

"Uh, I said, Gobber would be mad if I didn't help?"

"Oh," she sighed, thinking she must have misheard him, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, I guess he would...you guys have never charged me for repairs before, but you're making a new weapon for me," she said, crossing her arms, "I have to pay you for that."

Hiccup bit his lip, "Uh, so what have you been up to?" He asked, checking the temperature, "I haven't seen you since the last raid."

"Ugh, avoiding Snotlout, that's where," she groaned.

Hiccup groaned as well, "Oh, no, what's he done now?"

Astrid scoffed, and sat herself on his worktable, "What hasn't he done?" She asked, scowling, "Do you know how it feels to fend off his advances every single day?"

"Thank Thor almighty, no," Hiccup found himself laughing, shaking his head, "Let me guess, he invited you to his bedroom-basement, again?"

"And said I could pour him some wine, too," she rolled her eyes, "How do you put up with him all the time, Hiccup? I mean, I've never seen you raise a hand to him!"

Hiccup shrugged, "What good would it do?" He asked, frowning, and added more iron into the smelter when the flames were hot enough, "Look at me, Astrid," he said, gesturing to himself, "I'm not a warrior, not even close. It's probably only luck that my dad hasn't disowned me, yet. If I got into it with Snot, I'd be worse off than if I'd...I'd...stepped in front of an angry Monstrous Nightmare."

Astrid giggled, "Honestly, I think I'd prefer the Nightmare." She said, and hopped up and bumped him in the shoulder, "But you really shouldn't put yourself down like that, Hiccup. You're the son of a chief, and that means something, you know?"

"Not enough for my dad to actually care," he sighed, turning to her, "You know he's been looking for a marriage between me and one of the other tribes? He wants an heir that he can be proud of, even if it's his grandchild."

Astrid frowned, "Well, you are the right age to take a wife, so it's only natural, I guess," she said, smiling a little, "I heard Camicazi's a good fighter."

"But I don't want her," Hiccup muttered, feeling slightly bold, "the girl I want's right here on Berk."

The way he spoke almost made the girl blush, "Um, y-you're talking about Ruffnut, right?"

He didn't turn to look at her. He didn't have to. Both of them knew he wasn't talking about her friend. But Hiccup just shook his head, "Doesn't matter." He sighed, giving the bellows another pump, "I'm Hiccup the Helpless, no one is ever gonna want to marry me."

She punched him in the shoulder, "Stop that!" She snapped, "Of course there's a girl out there for you!"

"Or she could be right here," he said, turning around finally, facing her, "standing right beside me."

Astrid stepped away from him, "Hiccup, I - "

"Don't worry about it," he said, turning back to his work, "Why don't you go on up to the mead hall and get something to eat?" He said, grabbing a bar from his table and started mixing the molten metals inside the smelter, "I'll have this done by tomorrow."

Flustered, and feeling somewhat shameful, the young woman backed out of the forge, "You...you should get something, too, you know?" She said as he stirred the contents of the vat, "You really work too hard sometimes."

Hiccup paused in his stirring, "It's all I have."

Astrid sighed left him to his work, her cheeks burning.

"Stupid, idiot, how could I have said that?!" Hiccup berated himself, knocking his head against the wall, "Of course she'd turn me down! I mean, who wouldn't?!" He raged at himself, before returning to the fire, and opening a panel on the side of the smelter, letting the molten iron flow into a mold beside it. As soon as it was cool enough, he began to shape it, hammering furiously.

A chuckle sounded from behind him, "And here I t'ought it was Thor 'imself hammerin' away in 'ere." Gobber said as he hobbled into the forge, looking over his apprentice's shoulder, "How long until it'll be ready?"

"Couple hours, give or take," Hiccup said, frowning, turning the iron on its head, and beginning to make the handle spout. "It was in a bad way."

"I can tell," he clapped the boy on the back gently, "Lad, ye did right by tellin' the wee lass how ye felt," he said, sighing, "T'is no' ev'ry day a lass like that comes along."

Hiccup snorted, "And look where it got me, Gobber," he said, gesturing to the door, "She's gone isn't she?"

Gobber chuckled, "Ye know what she's like," the old blacksmith, "She's been loyal to this village all 'er life, and ever since her family died off, she's sworn to become a Shieldmaiden. That means she never plans to marry. Ye could change her mind, if ye tried hard enough."

Hiccup paused with his hammer raised...then threw it across the room, smashing a hole through the wall. Gobber just grinned. Viking he may not have been, but her was still a Hooligan.

"How in the name of Hel's icy fortress am I supposed to change her mind!?" Hiccup yelled, gesturing wildly, "I'm a Hiccup! The useless, helpless, most un-Viking guy on the whole damned island, and you think I can change her mind?!"

"Aye, that I do," Gobber said, grinning, his metal tooth glinting, "Hehe, ye're stronger than ye think ye are, boyo, and ye're a master blacksmith already at seventeen, and I could'nae be any prouder than if ye were me own son."

"I'm my dad's shame, Gobber," Hiccup said, slouching against the wall, "Why would she marry me?"

Gobber stood, looking at the boy, looking broken, and smaller than he had on the day he was born. He stepped over to the boy, and knocked him in the chest with the round side of his hook, "Because, Hiccup Horrendous Hadock, ye are a good man if ever I were to see one. And when the time comes, ye will make a fine chief."

"But not husband material," he sighed, going to retrieve his hammer, "Sorry about the wall, I..I'll fix it later."

"Don't worry about it, lad," Gobber said, shoving the boy out of the way, "And ye skedaddle on up to the hall, and get some food in ye. I doona think I've seen ye take a break all day."

Hiccup shook his head, "I really need to get this done before tomorrow."

"I'll handle it," Gobber said, "Now scat, before I use ye as a tannin' wrack."

=x=

The Great Hall was the large mead hall at the top of the hill next to the chief's residence. Inside was a smoke atmosphere thanks to the hearths burning warmly all around, as well as the multiple roasting spits over the flames. Laughter and merry making abounded inside the hall, because even though the dragons pillaged and burned, the people of Berk still had those around them as comfort.

Astrid, however, normally sat alone unless Ruffnut came over and sat with her to talk, or get away from her brother. Tonight was one of those talking nights as she saw her fellow blonde picking at her food with little interest. She sat down across from the girl and flicked her in the head, "Hey, you in there, Astrid?"

"Ruff, please," she sighed, brushing her hand away, "Not tonight."

Ruffnut sat back with her arms crossed, "One of those days, huh?" She asked, "Well, what can ya do? We are getting older, and our bods are tellin' us it's time to have a kid, so - "

"Ugh, so not what I'm talking about!" Astrid rolled her eyes in disgust. "It's just been a bad day, is all."

Ruffnut giggled, "Who was it? Snot, or Legs?"

"Snot...and Hiccup, actually," Astrid relented with a sigh as she thought about the freckle-faced blacksmith, a traitorous blush coming to her cheeks.

Ruffnut looked at her in surprised, "Whoa, hang on a minute, you mean, Helpless actually came on to you?"

"Don't call him that, please," Astrid pleaded, placing her hand on her forehead, "And no, he didn't come on to me. He just...I don't know what he did," she sighed and placed her head on the table.

Ruffnut leaned on her hands, "Well, whatever he did, you look a lot more bothered by it than anything Snotface ever did." She smiled, and reached for a piece of boar on her plate, "sho, shpill," she said around a mouthful, swallowing, "What'd he do to get you so hot and bothered?"

"Hot and bothered!?" Astrid's head shot up with a glare for her friend, "That is so not true!"

"You're blushing!"

"It's the heat! We're too close to the hearth!"

"It's twenty feet to your right!" Ruffnut laughed, "Holy Freya, you are moon-eyed over him!"

"Am not!" Astrid huffed, sitting back down.

Ruffnut sat back with a satisfied look on her face, "Well, you'd better be a little bothered, because here comes ol' Snotty again."

"In the name of Odin," Astrid groaned, and bit into the chicken leg quarter she'd gotten just as a shadow passed over her.

"Hey, Babe," Snotlout Jorgenson said, sitting himself down beside her, "did I tell you that you look amazing today, because you do."

"Go away, Snotlout," Astrid grumbled, 'What I wouldn't give for my axe right now!'

"Aw, come on, honey," Snotlout said, scooting closer to her, forcing her to scoot away just as much, "You know you want some of this, I mean what more could you want?"

Astrid gave him a pointed look that could a punched a hole through a Gronkle, "Aside from getting swallowed by the Midgard Serpent?" She asked sarcastically, "How about going out and single-handedly killing a Skrill? Maybe then I'd think about it."

"WHOO!" Snotlout shouted, drawing looks from all of the other villagers. "So whoever kills a Skrill gets to be your husband? Awesome!"

"I said I'd think about it if you killed one, idiot!" Astrid snapped, rising from her seat, glaring, "And guess what, even if you did somehow find a Skrill, and managed to kill it without getting yourself fried like a piece of fish, I still wouldn't even touch you with a ten foot pike!"

Snotlout looked a little stunned, but the grin came right back, "But if I kill a Skrill, you'll marry me right?"

"Not a chance in Hel!" Astrid snapped, her hand rearing back to punch him...but then someone else beat her to it. Out of nowhere, a fist slammed right into Snotlout's jaw with a meaty smack, knocking him from the bench.

Stoick and Spitelout, Snotlout's father, both rose from their seats at the back of the hall near the long hearth, rose in sheer shock at the attacker. For there, standing tall and rotating his shoulder stood Hiccup Horrendous Hadock the Third. Hiccup the Helpless. Hiccup the Hiccup, of all people, had just knocked a boy twice is size over, a boy who was now rubbing his jaw, and spitting out a tooth.

"Now that felt a lot better than I thought it would," Hiccup said, staring down at the stunned teen, "If Astrid punching you all the time didn't make it clear enough, then let me spell it out, Snot; No Means No, and that's never going to change!"

Instead of sticking around to say more, Hiccup went to the hearth where a deer was roasting over the fire, cutting off a few strips from the back, and grabbing a mug of watered down mead before finding a spot to sit.

Astrid, and Ruffnut stared after the young man in amazement. "D-did he just - ?!"

"Yeah, Astrid, I think he did," Ruffnut said, just as stunned as her friend. She then grinned as Snotlout rose from the floor, "Nice smile, Snotty. The hole really brings it out."

Astrid giggled as Snotlout only just realized that one of his front teeth was missing, and growled, "When I get through with him, I'll - "

"Lose another tooth," Astrid put in, looking at him with a hard glare, "Because if you touch one hair on his head for defending me, I'll knock the rest of your teeth out."

"But Baby -!"

"And I'm not your 'baby', or anything for that matter," Astrid said, getting up and taking her plate with her, "So don't ever call me anything except my name ever again!"

"Oooh, ouch," Ruffnut giggled as Astrid flipped her braid over her shoulder and sauntered over to where Hiccup was sitting. Her brother and Fishlegs came over then, seeing that the conflict was over, "And where were you guys?"

"Watching, duh!" Tuffnut grinned happily, "That was a totally awesome right hook! Who knew Helpless had it in him!?"

"Yeah, I've never seen Hiccup hit anyone, especially not Snotlout," Fishlegs smiled in admiration, "And he's smaller than you, Tuff."

"I know, right!" Tuffnut grinned, looking at his sister, "What'd Snotlout do to rile him up like that?!"

"Flirted with Astrid," she said, grinning, taking another bite of boar, "As usual."

Fishlegs and Tuffnut looked at each other, and than at the sulking Snotlout, and grinned, "'Bout damned time!"

Hiccup was resigned to eat his meal in peace, unless Snotlout wanted a shot at him, which he expected, but the moment Astrid sat down across from him, all of that went out the window. "Evening, m'lady."

"You know you didn't have to do that," she said softly, although there was a small smile on her face, "I can take care of myself around that idiot, and you know that."

Hiccup nodded, "I know, but he had it coming, and then some," he said, reaching for his drink, "Besides, it felt good to finally knock him down."

Astrid bit her lip to keep a larger smile from forming, "Yeah, I know, I do it almost daily, but it never stops feeling good...Hiccup, about earlier - "

Hiccup held up a hand to stop her, "I told you not to worry about that," he said gently, "I was just shooting my mouth off again, so there's no need to act any different."

She shook her head, "You don't understand," she said, blushing a little bit, "Hiccup, I've got nothing I can offer you. No furniture, no dowry, nothing but an old dusty ruin of a house I haven't even slept in in years."

Hiccup looked at her sadly, "You really think that would matter to me?"

"It should," Astrid sighed, "I'll never have anything but my name to give me honor, Hiccup, and marrying you would make us both look...I don't know...like we were taking pity on each other."

"You pity me?" Hiccup asked, astonished.

"No!" The girl said hurriedly, "Gods, no! I mean, you're the son of the chief, and a great blacksmith. You have a trade, Hiccup. You make money, and will lead this village someday. What have I got?"

"Three Nadder heads, and one Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup said, smiling, "I may have a trade, Astrid, but I'm not planning on leading this village until I don't have a choice, like never. And everyone around here has killed a dragon, except for me. I can't even hunt all that well...I don't even like killing...period. So you see, I'm not the most honorable person in the village."

"Stoick would never allow it," Astrid put in, looking over to where the chief sat, looking down at them with interest, "believe it or not, he does want what's best for you. And that includes a wife."

Feeling bolder than he ever had in his entire life, he reached across the table and took her hand in his own, "He doesn't get to decide who I fall in love with." This caused a brilliant blush to burst across her cheeks. "I've felt that way for a long time, just to throw that out there. I'd do anything for you, m'lady."

"Then forget about me," Astrid rose, leaving her plate, "I'm unfit to marry, and that's that."

Before she left, he asked out loud, "Unless someone kills a Skrill, right?"

She stumbled once, but didn't turn about, thoroughly flustered as she left the hall.

Stoick the Vast, from his seat, had watched the pair from the moment Snotlout had made an advance on the girl, to the moment she left his son at his table, and sighed, "Well, that was brutal." He said, frowning. Looking down at his son, he saw a small amount of himself when he was a boy. Valka had been the same as Astrid, if only slightly less temperamental. But they were the same. Valka had come from a nameless family, yet he had loved her all the same.

Astrid had come from a good family, but had nothing to offer as a wife could. She had nothing at all save for the old Hofferson residence, which she had abandoned long ago in favor of living with Ruffnut's family, if only for companionship. And, in the ways of tradition, Astrid was right. But in their own rights, Stoick thought they would make a fine pair.

And he was pleasantly surprised by his son when he defended the girl. He certainly inherited his mother's right hook. He rose from his seat and made his way down to him, and sat next to him. "How are ye doing, son?"

Hiccup chuckled, "Rejected, as usual." He sighed, "But that's me isn't it? The village reject."

Stoick reached out and patted him on the shoulder, "Not to me, yer not." He said, smiling sadly, "Come, if yer done eating, we should both head home and get some rest. The Berserkers are due to arrive tomorrow for the treaty signing."

"Oh, joy, the one person aside from my dad that likes seeing me also likes to hurl swords and axes at me," Hiccup sighed, finishing his meal, and rising, "I need to head back down to the forge and help Gobber with Astrid's axe, and then I'll head home. Alright?"

Stoick nodded, "Aye, just see that ye get some sleep, alright?" He said, frowning, "Ye look like ye haven't had any in a while."

=x=

Dawn broke across the isle of Berk as Hiccup was finishing up the last touches of Astrid's weapon of choice, putting an edge on it sharp enough to slice through Gronkle hide. It was only when the first rooster crowed that he realized that he'd spent all night on it...again. But he was far from upset. He was looking at his masterpiece. Astrid's axe, reforged with different techniques after Gobber had shaped it for him, was now shining as bright as a star in the firelight. What had really done the trick was that he had quenched the blade in Changewing acid. It had bleached the color to as near white as metal could get, and made it incredibly hard, more so that normal water-quenched, or even oil quenched blades.

And now it was fitted to a piece of hardened oak as a shaft, reinforced with strips of the same type of iron spiraling down the shaft so that it wouldn't break if she hit something too hard, or at the wrong angle.

The axe was perfect.

He hefted it, giving it a few good swings, testing the balance, and smiled in satisfaction. Now all he had to do was give it to her. And get cleaned up...and dress in his best clothes to meet with Oswald and Dagur...gods above, he'd forgotten about Dagur of all people! "I think I should hide at the bottom of the well."

He sighed and stepped out of the forge to head home, the axe swung over his shoulder, and noted that it was going to be an overcast day as storm clouds rolled over head. He could even hear thunder rolling in the distance.

"Great," he sighed, frowning up at the sky, which looked ready to let loose, "I hope the rain doesn't hit until after we've met the Berserkers." He said, and went toward his home. Maybe he could catch a quick nap before his father rolled him out of bed.

"HICCUP!"

Or not, for as he opened the door, his father was standing right there waiting for him. "Uh...top of the morning to you, Dad?"

"Verra funny, ye didn't sleep at all last night, did ye?" Stoick asked, his hands on his hips, "Lad, ye look awful!"

"Thanks?"

Stoick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "We've got a few hours before Oswald and Dagur arrive." He said, motioning toward the stairs, "Go on up and get a bit of rest, and I'll come find ye when they're about an hour out."

Hiccup nodded, "Sorry about this, Dad, I just - "

Stoick shook his head with a raised hand, "No need to explain, son, I know how ye feel," he said, leaning down, "And between the two of us, I think she's worth the effort." He smiled at his son's reddening face, "Now, go on, off with ye. I'll take that axe to the wee lass while ye get some rest."

"Thanks, Dad." He nodded, stretching out on a yawn, stumbling up toward his room.

Stoick shook his head, and started out the door, breathing in the fresh morning air, with the hint of a coming rain. The village was already bustling with activity as the villagers went about their daily routines. One in particular caught his eye as she was seen heading toward Gobber's forge. Chuckling, the chief went to meet her there.

Gobber was, of course, still asleep, and Astrid wasn't about to wake the grouchy blacksmith, instead she was peering through the windows in hopes of seeing Hiccup moving about, but to no avail.

"Looking for someone?" Stoick rumbled, startling the young Shieldmaiden.

"Hel!"Astrid spun around, her hand flying to her chest, "Chief, you scared me half to death!"

Stoick chuckled, and showed her her axe, "Perhaps ye have a guilty conscience, eh, lassie?"

"He fixed it!" She cried out happily excepting the axe, marveling at the sheen of the metal. But then she realized how she was acting, and in front of her chief of all people, "Oh, er, thank you, Chief, for delivering my weapon to me...you really didn't have to - "

"I think ye'll find that I did," he chuckled, smiling down at the girl, "The lad was up all night fixing that. He only just stumbled home a few minutes ago."

"Oh..." now she did look guilty.

Stoick patted her on the shoulder, "Lass, ye should'nae worry about it." He said, "It was his own doing. And I understand why he did it." He said, giving her a wink.

Astrid blushed, "You should hurry up, and find him a wife." She mumbled.

"Before, or after he kills that Skrill ye want?" Stoick laughed as the girl blushed like a stewed beet. "Oh, yes, lass, we all heard what ye told Snotlout, and he's got it into his head now that anyone that takes down a Skrill gets to be yer husband."

Astrid groaned, "I thought I made myself clear!"

"Not for a Jorgenson," Stoick said, "Even his father doesn't know how to take a hint." He looked up as thunder roared over head, "Hm, looks like we'll be getting some rain in a few minutes...lovely day for a treaty to be sign...ah, Astrid, could I ask you to go get Hiccup? I know I wanted him to get some sleep, but I can just make out some sails on the horizon." He said, pointing out to sea. "See if you can get him to eat some breakfast, and then bring him over to Flay's house. She should be finished with his new clothes for the meeting."

"Yes, Sir," Astrid smiled, and scampered off, her axe bouncing on her back.

Stoick chuckled once more, "Maybe he can convince her to nix the Skrill idea?" He wondered aloud as anothr loud rumble sounded overhead, "Blasted weather." He said, feeling the first drops of rain hitting his helmet.

The clouds above the isle darkened to near black as lightning began to flash within them. A lite drizzle began, misting over the isle like a blanket. No wind blew, not even a breeze.

To Stoick, something didn't feel right. But he had other things to worry about. If the storm turned bad, then at least they could run to the Great Hall for shelter, but at the moment, he had to deal with a treaty with one of the craziest tribe aside from the Lava-Louts. He only prayed that Hiccup could stay awake long enough to dodge the first blade Dagur threw at him.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was still awake.

Instead of going to bed as he had wanted, he had opted for cleaning up first. His father had been lucky enough when repairing their house once to tap into a natural hot spring, providing them with a rare treat: a hot bath.

It was one of the few things Hiccup enjoyed about their island. Soaking in the tubs of spring water always helped melt away the aches and pains caused by the forge. Washing the soot and grime away had taken little to no time at all with a good scrubbing, and now he was just enjoying the hot water.

"Hiccup?" Astrid's voice called out from the front door.

The young man jumped, startled, "ASTRID!?"

"Where are you?" She called out. Her voice sounded closer.

Hiccup scrambled out of the tub, and grabbed a woolen robe from the wall hooks. "J-Just a minute! I'm not decent!"

"Okay, but your father wants you down at Flay's so she can fit your new clothes for the meeting." He heard her call out, now she was just outside the door. "Why is there steam coming out of the door frame?"

"It's a hot spring," Hiccup called out, smiling as he pulled on a clean pair of britches, and tunic. "Dad found it after that Monstrous Nightmare set the house on fire two years ago."

"Oh," she said, nodding from the other side of the door, "Um, Hiccup?"

"Yeah?" The door opened, revealing the teen blacksmith in his fresh clothing, his hair still damp.

She held up her axe, "Thank so much for this," she said, her cheek tinting pink, "I've never had a weapon this nice before."

Hiccup smiled at her, "Like I said, anything for you, m'lady."

Before she could respond, a tremendous crash of thunder and lighting sounded, causing the whole house to shake. "Thor's hammer, what's going on!?"

Then there came the all too familiar sound of the Raid signal.

"Dragons!" Hiccup yelled, pelting for the door, and scooping up his boots as he went. "I need to get to the forge," he told her as he pulled the boots on. "Can you tell Dad where I am?"

"Yeah, just be careful," she said, pelting after him, looking up at the skies as they ran, "This is the first time they've attacked in daylight!"

Hiccup would've agreed...but as they ran, there wasn't a sign of a dragon. "Where are they?"

Astrid found it strange as well. Usually there was utter chaos whenever the dragons attacked. Now, the skies were free of dragons, but the villagers were all on the defensive. Whatever was happening, it had to be something different.

"Look out!" Hiccup roared, and tackled her to the ground as a massive bolt of lightning struck the ground where she'd been standing. Astrid looked back in shock at the smoldering ground behind them, and the man that had his arm over her protectively, also looking stunned. "What in the name of - ?!"

A piercing roar shook the air as the sky lit up with lightning.

Astrid's breath caught in her throat. She had heard stories of the beast, but she'd never seen one before, and she never wanted to either. With lightning sparking all over its body, the Skrill was something straight out of her nightmares. Those wicked spines and barbed tail made the medium-sized dragon look like a demon straight from legend.

Hiccup looked at her, and gave a shaky grin, "So I have to kill that to get you to marry me?"

"Not the time, Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, and got him up from the ground, "Come on! We can't fight that thing!"

The Skrill roared again, diving toward the village as the warriors fired nets and bolas in attempts to bring the dragon down. Hiccup and Astrid made for the forge. And the Skrill let loose a blast of lightning toward the village.

The two of them dove to the ground again, the blast hitting dangerously close, rolling them against the side of a building. Astrid's ears were ringing loudly, her vision blurred. She saw Hiccup trying to stand, talking to her, but she couldn't hear him. He was trying to pull her up.

"...str...he...me...Astrid!" Hiccup yelled.

"Wh-what happened?" She asked, finding her voice, "Where's the Skrill?"

"Landed somewhere in the village," Hiccup said, smiling in relief in finding that she was alright. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

Astrid frowned and staggered to her feet, "N-no, I-I need to help," she stammered, her legs shaking. Was this fear? "I wished for that thing! This is my fault!"

Hiccup scoffed, and hoist her over his shoulder, "Don't be stupid! That's Snotlout's job!" He yelled, and ran for the forge, depositing her inside, and grabbing a shield and rusty sword from one of his tables, "You stay here and get your bearings. I need to find Dad and help anyway I can."

Her eyes flew open and grabbed at his arm, "Hiccup, please, don't go near that thing!" She said, shaking her head, "I didn't mean it, about the Skrill, or anything! Just please -!"

"Hey," He leaned down, looking her in the eyes, "I'm just gonna go back up my dad. Nothing more." He smiled, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head, "I'll be back before you know it."

She kept hold of his arm and forced her axe into his hands, "Take this with you," she said, "I owe you that much."

Not willing to argue, he nodded, and left the forge, dashing through the village in search of his father, or Gobber, who he hadn't seen yet. There was a loud commotion coming from the storehouses, as well as sparks of electricity shooting off in different directions. Smoke filled the air as he ran passed ruined houses, and injured villagers. He tried not to look to see who was still alive, not willing to see it for himself. He just had to get to his father.

Then he heard it, his father's war cry. And the roar of the Skrill. There was an explosion, and smoke billowed up in front of him. One of the storehouses was on fire. He ran forward again, despite the smoke, and nearly tripped over the debris caused by the blast.

Jumping out of the smoke, and into the clear, Hiccup saw his father on the ground, the Skrill mere feet away from him, its teeth sparking with its deadly attack.

"DAD!" Hiccup yelled, rushing forward, which gained the dragon's attention. The Skrill hissed at him as he advanced.

Stoick saw him, and paled, "Hiccup, no!"

The Skrill lunged for him. He rolled underneath the creature, only to get caught by the barbed tail, slicing right into his left shoulder. He was thrown across the clearing. The dragon then turned its attention back to the larger quarry in front of it. After all, the one it had just dealt with was small, and had little meat on it. While it preferred mutton, a Viking as large as Stoick would feed it for a few days while it followed the storms.

It prepared to fire its breath attack, and let loose.

Stoick closed his eyes. He heard the explosion, but felt nothing, and smelled the stench of scorched flesh, and burnt wood. And then a small body fell against his. His eyes coming open, he found the small body of his son, sprawled out against him, his shield splintered, his hair standing on end, and his body smoldering. "Hi-Hiccup!"

The Skrill was not happy that its shot had missed. But now it had a problem. The storm was leaving. It was time to go. The dragon lept into the air with a sweep of its wings, and snatched up a young yak in passing, determined to have a meal before moving off with the storm to follow the lightning.

=x=

Astrid staggered out of the forge, blinded for a moment as the sun cut through the clouds. In the distance she could hear the retreating cries of the Skrill. The villagers were already starting to clean up the ruin left by the beast. Bodies were carried away to Gothi, hopefully for healing. Others were moving about to put out fires, and clear away the debris.

She didn't see any of her friends, nor did she see Hiccup, or any of the elders.

She the spotted Phlegma the Fierce rushing toward the square. She heard shouts and cries as a large crowd gathered. The unmistakable horned helmet of Stoick came into view. With him was Gobber, looking worn out, and devastated. It didn't click to see either man looking so forlorn until she saw what Stoick was carrying. Wrapped in his bear skin cloak was Hiccup.

"No...no..." Her feet seemed to move on their own, carrying her forward. "You said...you'd be back..."

"Astrid!" Ruffnut yelled, coming up behind her, "Hey, snap out of it!" She yelled, "He's alive, okay! Gothi already had a look at him."

Astrid shook herself out of her stupor, looking at her friend, "She did?"

"Yeah, she said he'd be fine after a little rest," the younger woman said, "Lucky for him, his shield caught most of the blast when he jumped in front of the chief." She said, sighing, "But man it was close! That damned dragon nearly got both of them if the storm hadn't let up."

"You mean it got away?" Astrid asked.

"Ran off as soon as the storm started passing over." Ruffnut nodded, frowning, "But this is bad, Oswald and the Berserks are docking right now. Oswald won't be a problem, but if that nutjob, Dagur, starts running his mouth, then we might be in trouble."

"He thinks of Hiccup as a brother, though," Astrid said, "If anything, he might want to hunt that Skrill down for this."

Ruffnut looked at her, "Astrid, honey, they don't call him deranged for nothing." She said, "Now, let's go see how Hiccup's doing, huh?"

Yes, Hiccup is older than he was in cannon, yes Toothless will appear, and yes, that Skrill will be back. Now here's a head's up because I'm going to be using some Skyrim weapons and armor in this fic, like Astrid's new axe, which is a Steel Battleaxe from said game. We'll see some changes other than timeline in this story soon. Like next chapter if this takes off. So, don't be mean, and tell me what you think.

Love it? Hate it? Give it to me!